Blog Hop List

Here's the list for our next blog hop.  If you get lost along the way, you can click on these links to find your way back.  Stay tuned, the posts will be up soon!

Helen Onulak http://www.hookedonstamping.com/
Jena DeVries http://www.livelovelaughscrapbook.blogspot.com/
Jessica Booth http://jessicabooth.blogspot.com/
Carla Ironside http://www.carlacreates.blogspot.com/
Lori Miller http://www.clearlyfromtheheart.blogspot.com/
Misty Jackson http://www.misstscraps.blogspot.com/
Jen Patrick http://www.roxybonds-scrappin.blogspot.com/
Susan Brooks http://www.stampingintheopen.blogspot.com/
Kathleen Androlewicz http://bowlofstamps.blogspot.com/
Dawn Ross http://www.iamahappystamper.blogspot.com/
Amy McVey http://www.clearlystamping.blogspot.com/
Antoinette Herrin http://www.godblessyourart.blogspot.com/
Jill Lucas http://scrapwench.blogspot.com/
Barbra Otten http://barbraotten.blogspot.com/
Lori Brown http://www.savingmine.blogspot.com/
Brae Montgomery http://thebrae-er.blogspot.com/
Wanda Riley http://www.creatingwithwanda.blogspot.com/
Adeline E. Brill http://adeline-brill.blogspot.com/
Kami Welter http://www.scrappin4memories.blogspot.com/
Judy Burger http://makingtimeformemories.blogspot.com/
Pamela O'Connor http://www.cherishyourmemories.blogspot.com/
Cindy Leek http://www.paperspadsandpictures.blogspot.com/
Mary Eisen http://www.mestamp2.blogspot.com/
Sylvia Jacquot http://stampinsylvia.blogspot.com/
Laura Dame http://www.thecroppersconnection.blogspot.com/
Melissa Laverty http://www.fancymelissa.blogspot.com/
Haley Dyer http://www.inkyscrapper.blogspot.com/
Terrie Dodd http://www.my-life-in-real-time.blogspot.com/
Katy Donaldson http://www.scrappinkaty.blogspot.com/
Chris Shouse http://www.houseostamps.wordpress.com/
Tammy Lea Pinchard http://mycreativeclubhouse.blogspot.com/
Krista Ritskes http://kristaritskes-simplycreating.blogspot.com/  Here I am!
Shannon Pelletier http://www.mycolorfulworldinvt.blogspot.com/
Deb Young http://www.scrapbookczar.blogspot.com/
Amy Edwards http://paisleysplayhouse.blogspot.com/
Sheila Bennett http://sheila-bennett.blogspot.com/
Kristie Herdener http://www.goofyscrapper.blogspot.com/
Jen Rubio http://www.jenrubio.blogspot.com/
Jody Gustafson http://www.cre8nmemories.blogspot.com/
Sarita Schraeder http://www.blessedscrapper.blogspot.com/
Laurie Levnik http://www.creationsbylaurie.blogspot.com/
Debra Van Patten http://memoriesoftheheartbydeb.blogspot.com/
Kimberly Smith http://verykimberry.blogspot.com/
Michelle Nist http://michellenist.blogspot.com/
Karen Norman http://www.gettinscrappywithit.blogspot.com/
Traci Godbee http://createwithtraci.blogspot.com/
Nancy Brown http://www.creativelyartsygallery.blogspot.com/
Maricar Harris http://www.maricarharris.blogspot.com/
Nona Davenport http://www.nonapearl.blogspot.com/
Laurie Newton http://scrapsfromthebeach.blogspot.com/
Dawn Heuft http://www.stamptildawn.blogspot.com/
Melissa Burch http://melissaburch.blogspot.com/
Kim O'Rear http://kimorear.blogspot.com/
Michelle Bourlet http://michellescreativeconnections.blogspot.com/
Angela Tutton http://www.tuttonstreasures.blogspot.com/
Jenifer Benner http://www.jensmessystudio.com/
Shirley Ross http://www.momnmescrap.blogspot.com/
Latisha Haag http://domestichomefrontcoordinator.blogspot.com/

Happy Hopping!

My Advent Calendar

I saw the perfect advent calendar on Laurel Seabrook's blog and remembered seeing one like it in Creating Keepsakes last year.  So, when I saw the box at my local scrapbook store, Scrapbook Emporium, I knew I wanted to make one.  The little boxes are the perfect size for a couple of chocolate balls or bells, which is the perfect treat for my two little ones.

Laurel's was my inspiration for this one, down to which paper I used!  I used two papers from Jingle Level 2 and the two from Jingle Creative Basics, along with some old snowflake stickers I had, some punched with a Martha Stewart punch, and some from our glitter rub-ons as well as some white daisy rub-ons.  I also used our Twinkle brads and sparkles.  The numbers are clear stickers that come with the kit.  I do plan to cover the top and sides with paper as well, but we'll see when that happens.

It was so fun to watch the kids open each box and get so excited about the same treats.  I put a little note in #25 to tell them to go look in their boots for a bigger treat (a chocolate egg with smarties inside).  Christmas became so much more fun this year as our kids get older and can really enjoy it.  It's magical through their eyes!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I can hardly believe that Christmas is only four days away!  My daughter has started her first Christmas Break from school and we're having a relaxing day here at home.  My gifts are all bought, although not wrapped yet.  But I've got to get a move on that since we'll be opening them on Wednesday.  Why Wednesday? you ask.  It's a family tradition I grew up with.  My mom and dad are both from the Netherlands.  The Dutch celebrate Christmas, the gift-giving part of it, on December 5.  It's called Pakjies Dag, or Presents Day.  My dad immigrated to Canada when he was just 12 and his family adopted the Canadian tradition of opening gifts on Christmas morning.  My mom didn't come to Canada until she was in her 20s.  When they got married, they compromised.  They still wanted to keep Christmas Day about the real reason for celebrating, our Saviour's birth, so we always opened our gifts on the Saturday before Christmas.  My friends were actually jealous of me; I got my toys earlier than they did!
Fast forward to my first Christmas with my new husband.  Chris grew up with the traditional Christmas Day of opening gifts.  He liked the idea of keeping Christmas Day as a celebration of Jesus' birth.  We don't have a particular day; we just pick one that works for us and our schedules, making sure the kids have lots of time to enjoy their gifts.  The last couple of years we opened them on Boxing Day.  We don't do Christmas Eve because that is when our church celebrates with a special service.  So this year we decided on Wednesday, after nap and after Daddy gets home from work.  I guess we're just a little different.
My mom still likes to keep Christmas Day for Christ, but with my brother and I married and trying to arrange time, sometimes the only day we can get together with my family is on Christmas Day.  But Mom is trying to get us to the December 5th way of doing things.  I can pretty much guarantee we'll be doing things the dutch way next year.  I like it.  I love that I am dutch.  I'm proud of my heritage and would love to introduce my kids to Sinterklaas and Swarte Pete and the whole story of a wonderful, kind, giving man who put oranges and little gifts into the wooden shoes belonging to children all over Holland.  In fact, there's even some people in my home town who set it all up with people dressing as these characters and giving out little bags of peppernoten, ti-ties, little lolly-pops coated in sugar and yummy chocolate.  And of course, I'll be getting chocolate letters again this year.
So, to celebrate the Christmas season, here's the little bag I made for Arianna's teacher's gift card.

I used a sheet of Jingle Creative Basics, some Juniper ribbon that came with it, a gold eyelet, and the Thank You stamp set.  It was incredibly easy to make, which was what I needed since I made it the night before.  Nothing like the last minute!

Stay tuned to this blog on January 1st for another Stamp-of-the-Month blog hop and sneak peeks at brand new product from the Spring 2010 Idea Book!

Have a blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Happy Creating!

December SOTM Blog Hop! (using a club layout)

Welcome to another fabulous blog hop!  I can hardly believe it's time again.  We've had a very busy November, but thankfully for us December isn't going to be as crazy.

This month, we again have over 60 consultants participating.  We've all created projects using December's stamp-of-the-month, Notice the Details.  If you're new to blog hops, it's really quite simple.  Once you're finished here, just click on the link at the end of this post to hop to another blog.  If you continue doing so until you get back here, you'll have seen a plethora of inspiring work!  If you came from Traci's blog, then you're on the right track.  If you get lost, my previous post has links to everyone.

I decided to get two things accomplished with one project.  This layout is the one we'll be making at our First Fridays Club.  These ladies will get to play with this stamp set before they purchase it.  I love this stamp set.  It's perfect for adding some journaling touches to your layouts so that you don't feel overwhelmed about filling in a big space.  It's got some great images that add that little "office" look as well as some wonderful adjectives and other phrases to take your journaling up a notch, or add a little something to your cards.  This is what you receive in the set:

Here is my layout:

I did some random stamping around the outside with snowflakes from various stamp sets.  Then the title and punched snowflakes are sprayed with homemade glimmer mist.  The paper is from the Aspen paper pack.

Here are a couple photos of each page:

And some close-ups of the details.  Click on the first photo to see the glimmer!

These next two show the images from our SOTM:

Now head on over to Haley's blog to see more great artwork!

Please leave a comment.  I'd love to see what you think.

Happy Creating!

December SOTM Blog Hop List

A new month is almost upon us which means there are lots of consultants busy prepping for a new Stamp-of-the-Month Blog Hop.  Here is the list of participants this month:

Jena DeVries http://www.livelovelaughscrapbook.blogspot.com/
Helen Onulak http://www.hookedonstamping.com/
Nona Davenport http://www.nonapearl.blogspot.com/
Beth Naumann http://www.bethscreativeblock.blogspot.com/
Michelle Nist http://michellenist.blogspot.com/
Cibele Glazer http://www.flowerfoot.blogspot.com/
Dawn Heuft http://www.stamptildawn.blogspot.com/
Karen Norman http://www.gettinscrappywithit.blogspot.com/
Brae Montgomery http://thebrae-er.blogspot.com/
Adeline E. Brill http://adeline-brill.blogspot.com/
Jen Patrick http://www.roxybonds-scrappin.blogspot.com/
Tammy Lea Pinchard http://mycreativeclubhouse.blogspot.com/
Melissa Laverty http://www.fancymelissa.blogspot.com/
Chris Shouse http://www.houseostamps.wordpress.com/
Misty Jackson http://www.misstscraps.blogspot.com/
Amy McVey http://www.clearlystamping.blogspot.com/
Jessica Booth http://jessicabooth.blogspot.com/
Sylvia Jacquot http://stampinsylvia.blogspot.com/
Amy Edwards http://paisleysplayhouse.blogspot.com/
Deb Young http://www.scrapbookczar.blogspot.com/
Judy Burger http://makingtimeformemories.blogspot.com/
Jamia Bankhead http://www.papermadnessinc.blogspot.com/
Paige Dolecki http://www.paigespaperparadise.blogspot.com/
Shannon Pelletier http://www.mycolorfulworldinvt.blogspot.com/
Pamela O'Connor http://www.cherishyourmemories.blogspot.com/
Kathleen Androlewicz http://bowlofstamps.blogspot.com/
Debra Van Patten http://memoriesoftheheartbydeb.blogspot.com/
Wendy Kessler http://www.myscrapbookingblog.com/
Dawn Ross http://www.iamahappystamper.blogspot.com/
Caren Goldsein http://www.scrappycaren.blogspot.com/
Lori Brown http://www.savingmine.blogspot.com/
Lori Miller http://www.clearlyfromtheheart.blogspot.com/
Sarita Schraeder http://www.blessedscrapper.blogspot.com/
Tanya David http://www.scramperscorner.blogspot.com/
Barbra Otten http://barbraotten.blogspot.com/
Laurie Newton http://scrapsfromthebeach.blogspot.com/
Kristie Herdener http://www.goofyscrapper.blogspot.com/
Maricar Harris http://www.maricarharris.blogspot.com/
Laurie Levnik http://www.creationsbylaurie.blogspot.com/
Carla Ironside http://www.carlacreates.blogspot.com/
Cindy Leek http://www.paperspadsandpictures.blogspot.com/
Mary Eisen http://www.mestamp2.blogspot.com/
Sheila Bennett http://sheila-bennett.blogspot.com/
Lori Leng http://www.pinkcloudscrappers.blogspot.com/
Susan Brooks http://www.stampingintheopen.blogspot.com/
Jen Rubio http://www.jenrubio.blogspot.com/
Traci Godbee http://createwithtraci.blogspot.com/
Krista Ritskes http://kristaritskes-simplycreating.blogspot.com/ You are here!
Haley Dyer http://www.inkyscrapper.blogspot.com/
Terrie Dodd http://www.my-life-in-real-time.blogspot.com/
Wanda Riley http://www.creatingwithwanda.blogspot.com/
Antoinette Herrin http://www.godblessyourart.blogspot.com/
Laura Dame http://www.thecroppersconnection.blogspot.com/
Jill Lucas http://scrapwench.blogspot.com/
Katy Donaldson http://www.scrappinkaty.blogspot.com/
Jody Gustafson http://www.cre8nmemories.blogspot.com/
Kimberly Smith http://verykimberry.blogspot.com/
Melissa Burch http://melissaburch.blogspot.com/
Tracy Oleksak http://www.mamaolie.blogspot.com/
Shirley Ross http://www.momnmescrap.blogspot.com/

What a fabulous list of bloggers!  Be sure to come back here on December 1st to see all the fabulous work everyone has done.

Wow, Life Is Busy!!

Time is just whizzing by right now for me.  I've had a very busy few weeks with team meetings, workshops, club nights and gatherings.  On top of all that, there is daily life. 

I have to toot a horn for my hubby right now.  On the 30th of this month, we will be going to Toronto for an awards dinner at the Fairmont Royal York hotel.  Chris wrote up an application for a Committment to Care and Service award about his participation in the FTC Canada medical mission trips to Central America.  He has won an honourable mention!  This award comes with money (Yay!) for FTC Canada.  I'm so proud of him for doing this and so excited to get to go with him when he receives this award.  The group who gives out the awards is also giving us a night in the hotel.  Loving that idea!
The other exciting thing is that Chris is now the Administrative Zone Coordinator for our church.  He's going to be in charge of things like rentals and committees such as the Property Committee.  I know he's going to be fabulous at this.  He has amazing organizational skills and thinks so logically.
Life for me has changed, too.  I have begun directing the annual play at Durham Christian Secondary School in Bowmanville.  This is a great opportunity for me and I'm enjoying it.  I was a student at Durham and this is where my love of theatre was born, where I got bitten by that bug.  It's so neat to be back.  But it does mean I'm busier; two rehearsals a week on top of prep work for those rehearsals.  If you're in the Durham Region the beginning of March, let me know and I can get you tickets!

I mentioned workshops.  Here are the cards attendees made last weekend at my Christmas Card workshop.  Each card is created with paper from a Jingle Level 2 pack and coordinating cardstock.  We used various stamp sets.  There are a number of different techniques used, such as dry embossing, 2nd generation stamping, stamp rolling, masking, and random stamping.  Participants made 4 of each design.

I mentioned our involvement with FTC Canada's medical missions to Central America earlier in this post.  My husband and I are going to El Salvador in February.  We've been asked to raise some money for the medications we'll be dispensing in the 5 clinics over the week.  So in response, I will be hosting another All-Day Crop.  If you live close enought, mark Saturday, January 9 on your calendar.  More details will follow.  If you want to make sure you don't miss any information, just sign up for my newsletter.  There's a spot to do so at the bottom of my blog.

One of my favourite photos, scrapbooked.

I posted this photo of my kids in the back yard, sitting on our sandbox lid, a while ago.  I finally got it scrapbooked.

I happened upon a paper sale at All That Scraps and jumped at the chance to get some pretty neat papers for cheap.  I don't usually buy a lot of non-CTMH product, but these papers were extra special.  One of the pages is the base for this layout.  It's from Prima, the Mommy and Me line. 

The only things I added were the journalling spot, photo mat and scallop (which is CTMH Bubblegum paper), and some old Connections Club rewards, the rhinestone flowers, clear shapes and charm.  I also used our December SOTM, Notice the Details, to stamp the date.  This paper was so fun, with lots of bling on it.  I thought it was perfect for this photo.

This was one of those projects that I looked at when I was finished, and smiled.  I hope you do, too.

Happy Creating!

November SOTM Blog Hop

It's the beginning of a new month and time for a new blog hop!  If you came here from Laurie's blog, you're on the right track.  This month's hop has over 60 CTMH consultants participating.  If you're new to the blog hop, it's very simple.  Once you've looked here, just click on the link for the next blog at the end of this post and hop from blog to blog.  The stamp set we're highlighting today is called Around the Block.  It's full of super cute images that you can use to create houses with sweet windows, doors, shutters, and even window boxes.

Here is my project.  Click on the photo for a better view.

I decided to make a layout instead of a card this time.  I've tried some new techniques on this page, at least they're new to me.  I machine-stitched for the first time on the striped paper and photo mat.  I had no idea it would be so easy!  I'm already looking for a permanent place for my sewing machine in my craft area.  I also used our new soft-set eyelet tool and eyelets.  It was quick and quiet and easier than my Crop-a-dile.  All the stamped images, including the sentiments are from Around the Block.  The paper is from Magic Moments, Level 2.

Here is the photo I'm putting on it, once I get it printed.

I hope you can see where I got the inspiration for the colours I used in my stamped house.  This is my parents' home, the home where I spent a good portion of my growing up years.  And in front is my family.  I love them all and I look forward to framing this layout and using it as wall art in my own home.

Now hop on over to Kathleen's blog for some more inspiration and fun!

Thanks for visiting!  Please leave a comment.  They make my day.

Happy Creating!

November SOTM Blog Hop List

I will be participating in the Stamp-of-the-Month blog hop again this month.  There are lots of fabulous consultants in the hop and I wanted to make sure you would be able to find them all if you got lost on the hop.  So here is a list of all the blogs participating.  Come back tomorrow morning (2am even!) to check out my project and everyone else's awesome work.

Jena DeVries http://www.livelovelaughscrapbook.blogspot.com/
Helen Onulak http://www.hookedonstamping.com/
Carla Ironside http://www.carlacreates.blogspot.com/
Cindy Leek http://www.paperspadsandpictures.blogspot.com/
Laurie Levnik http://www.creationsbylaurie.blogspot.com/
Krista Ritskes http://kristaritskes-simplycreating.blogspot.com/ You are here.
Kathleen Androlewicz http://bowlofstamps.blogspot.com/
Paige Dolecki http://www.paigespaperparadise.blogspot.com/
Shannon Pelletier http://www.mycolorfulworldinvt.blogspot.com/
Jody Gustafson http://www.cre8nmemories.blogspot.com/
Laura Dame http://www.thecroppersconnection.blogspot.com/
Terrie Dodd http://www.my-life-in-real-time.blogspot.com/
Lori Brown http://www.savingmine.blogspot.com/
Cibele Glazer http://www.flowerfoot.blogspot.com/
Caren Goldsein http://www.scrappycaren.blogspot.com/
Traci Godbee http://createwithtraci.blogspot.com/
Dawn Ross http://www.iamahappystamper.blogspot.com/
Maricar Harris http://www.maricarharris.blogspot.com/
Jamia Bankhead http://www.papermadnessinc.blogspot.com/
Laurie Newton http://scrapsfromthebeach.blogspot.com/
Nona Davenport http://www.nonapearl.blogspot.com/
Tanya David http://www.scramperscorner.blogspot.com/
Sheila Bennett http://sheila-bennett.blogspot.com/
Melissa Laverty http://www.fancymelissa.blogspot.com/
Amy Edwards http://paisleysplayhouse.blogspot.com/
Lori Leng http://www.pinkcloudscrappers.blogspot.com/
Kristie Herdener http://www.goofyscrapper.blogspot.com/
Jill Lucas http://scrapwench.blogspot.com/
Adeline E. Brill http://adeline-brill.blogspot.com/
Michelle Nist http://michellenist.blogspot.com/
Dawn Heuft http://www.stamptildawn.blogspot.com/
Jessica Booth http://jessicabooth.blogspot.com/
Susan Brooks http://www.stampingintheopen.blogspot.com/
Sarita Schraeder http://www.blessedscrapper.blogspot.com/
Katy Donaldson http://www.scrappinkaty.blogspot.com/
Mary Eisen http://www.mestamp2.blogspot.com/
Deb Young http://www.scrapbookczar.blogspot.com/
Haley Dyer http://www.inkyscrapper.blogspot.com/
Kimberly Smith http://verykimberry.blogspot.com/
Barbra Otten http://barbraotten.blogspot.com/
Tammy Lea Pinchard http://mycreativeclubhouse.blogspot.com/
Nancy Brown http://www.creativelyartsygallery.blogspot.com/
Karen Norman http://www.gettinscrappywithit.blogspot.com/
Judy Burger http://makingtimeformemories.blogspot.com/
Sylvia Jacquot http://stampinsylvia.blogspot.com/
Brae Montgomery http://thebrae-er.blogspot.com/
Pamela O'Connor http://www.cherishyourmemories.blogspot.com/
Antoinette Herrin http://www.godblessyourart.blogspot.com/
Debra Van Patten http://memoriesoftheheartbydeb.blogspot.com/
Jen Patrick http://www.roxybonds-scrappin.blogspot.com/
Wendy Kessler http://www.myscrapbookingblog.com/
Beth Naumann http://www.bethscreativeblock.blogspot.com/
Misty Jackson http://www.misstscraps.blogspot.com/
Brenda Harmless http://keepsakeswithheart.blogspot.com/
Amy McVey http://www.clearlystamping.blogspot.com/
Linda Shewchuk http://www.awesomememories.blogspot.com/
Chris Shouse http://www.houseostamps.wordpress.com/
Pam Klassen http://eimmap.blogspot.com/
Michelle Bourlet http://michellescreativeconnections.blogspot.com/
Jen Rubio http://www.jenrubio.blogspot.com/
Wanda Riley http://www.creatingwithwanda.blogspot.com/
Lori Miller http://www.clearlyfromtheheart.blogspot.com/
Carol Taggio http://craftycarol55.blogspot.com/
Tracy Oleksak http://www.mamaolie.blogspot.com/

Next Club Layout!

I'm having a lot of fun with my new club.  We'll be meeting again on November 6 to make another 2-page layout.  My group chose to make a Halloween layout, which proved to be a challenge for me.  I don't have any Halloween stamp sets.  We, at CTMH, don't have any Halloween-themed paper right now, either.  So I went to my consultant sisters for help and using their fabulous suggestions, this is the layout I came up with.

I went to past Workshop-on-the-Go brochures for some inspiration on the pattern.  This one uses the Back Country one.  The white daisy spots are for 4x6 photos.  Since Halloween hasn't come yet, I don't have photos to put in their place and no journaling to write for the bottom left section, but I will do those before Club Night.  Now that'll be fast scrapbooking!  A first for me; I'm usually at least a year behind.  I will post this layout when it's completed, with more detailed photos.  In the meantime I still have to find a costume for Nathaniel and a few more pieces for Arianna's Moe (from Veggie Tales, Larry the Cucumber dressed up as the Lone Ranger) costume.

Happy Creating!

Snuggles With My Favourite Boy

I'm sure you all have wonderful and specific memories of each of your children, or friends, or other family members.  I'm going to share one of mine.  It's not just a memory since it still happens, almost every day, but it was important enough for me to make sure to capture it.  It is something I will remember forever about me and my favourite boy.  (I can say "favourite" since he's my only son.)

Every nap time that I am home for, which is pretty much every one, Nathaniel and I snuggle in the rocking chair.  He must have his soother, receiving blanket, and be wrapped in a cozy quilt or blanket.  Then we rock and I sing to him, usually Away in a Manger, but today he wanted Jesus Loves Me.  He often falls asleep as I sing, although that seems to be changing a bit lately.  It is one of my favourite times of the day and I miss it when I'm not home for it.  It only really happens at nap time.  Bed time snuggles are different.  I had to create a layout because this is such a special time for me and my boy.

I love this new paper pack.  It is Twitterpated, of course.  The stamp set and layout are all from the workshop kit, which I can still order for you if you're interested.  The title has been stamped with Chocolate Alpha small.  The chipboard buttons are from our new Dimensional Elements in Colour: Organic.  I also used some Natural Hemp.  The ribbon you see, Chocolate Ribbon Rounds, also comes in the kit, but you can purchase it separately.  There's Liquid Glass on all the little chocolate dots on the sorbet paper and brads, from our new Basic collection, in lots of places.  Here are some more photos, of each page and then some close-ups of the details. 

You've probably noticed that not all my photos are in colour.  I decided to down play the colours so that they wouldn't be too overwhelming.  I wanted to leave one in colour so settled on the small photo on the right page.  The rest are in sepia to give that warm feeling, although in these photos they look closer to black and white.
So does this layout make you want to snuggle under a warm quilt with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and a book?  It makes me want to give my sweetie a big hug, and since he's just waking up from his nap, I'm going to do just that.
As we celebrated Thanksgiving this weekend, I am reminded again how grateful I am for my kids.  Now I'm off to give those hugs.

Happy Creating!

October's Challenge, A Nice Easy One.

Since I didn't get much of a response from my last "monochromatic" challenge I'm guessing it was just too difficult.  So now I've got a real easy one for you.  Make a Christmas card or layout.  No, that's not all there is.  That would be too easy!  The challenge is to make a non-traditional Christmas card or layout.  What exactly falls into traditional?  No red or green or the usual images such as Christmas trees, gifts, snowmen, nativity or stars.  But if you think of a more traditional image that I have not listed here, it's fair game.  Yup, there's still lots of wiggle room in this one. 
I've got lots of creating to do for upcoming gatherings and workshops so I'm not sure when I'll get around to posting an example.  I'll try to do it as soon as I can.  In the meantime, have fun!

Happy Creating!

October Stamp-of-the-Month Blog Hop!

I am so excited to be able to participate in the blog hop this time!  If you've never hopped before it's super easy, just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! When you get back here, you will have seen 20 projects made with this stamp set, called Holiday Warmth.  Here we go!


Here's my card:

and the inside:

I used our new Jingle Level 2 paper, White Daisy buttons with Black waxy flax,  Tulip and Juniper ink and a blending pen to colour in the centre image and the bows on the inside.  I edged the squares with Tulip and popped the centre one with 3-D foam tape.  The pattern, taken from Wishes, is called All Stacked Up, on page 59.

Not sure how to get this stamp set?  You could get it for free depending on the rest of your order.  Take a look at my website for more information.  Just click on the first thumbnail on the right.

Now "Hop" on over to Katy Donaldson's blog to see her work!

If you get lost on the hop or find links that aren't working, click here for a complete list of participating blogs, including two other hops.  Have fun.

Happy Creating!

Have you done the challenge?

I finally got around to making a card for my own challenge.  Life has been busy!  Maybe you're feeling the same way.  You've got just under a week to complete this one.  Don't forget that you could win a prize.
Here is what I made.  We're celebrating my nephews' birthdays as well as my own Nathaniel's on Sunday so I had to make some cards.  Perfect, I knew what to do.  Make a monochromatic card.  It didn't turn out the way I pictured it, but I do like it.

I used textured cardstock in Indian Corn Blue, a bit of paper from Serendipity paper pack, Outdoor Denim cardstock, ink, brads and spiral clip, Heavenly Blue cardstock and ribbon.  The stamp sets are Robot Power and Charmed lowercase.  So now it's your turn.  Create a card or other project using just one colour, with different shades.  Post a comment with a link to your project and you're officially entered in the challenge and could win the prize.

Happy Creating!

My First Club Layout!

Here it is, the first layout we'll be doing on my First Fridays club night, which also happens to be my first club.  I'm totally excited about getting together with my customers on a regular basis.  You can click here to go to my website's calendar and get more details.  Even though the sign-up deadline is past, I have a few spaces left so you can still be a part of this.

So here's the layout.  I got the idea from Denise Panhorst, just changed it up to use Twitterpated Paper.  The technique we'll be doing is called stamp rolling.

The absolute deadline for attending this club night, on Oct. 2, is this Friday.  So don't delay!

All-Sorts: Christmas 2007, I know I'm really behind!

I had so much fun making this little album.  It's our new All-Sorts Chipboard album.  It's the same size as our clear acrylic album so you can mix and match pages.  I didn't do that with this one, but I just might later.  A lot of the ideas for these pages came from albums made by consultants who attended the Leadership Convention in July.  I'm grateful for those who posted their work on our consultant artwork bulletin board.

I've used Sweet Home paper, Level 2, some Chocolate ribbon and waxy flax, lots of felt from both sets (The new one is full of adorable images!), Top Coats photo overlays, rub-ons, including the new glitter ones, and some images from the exclusive stamp set with the Sweet Home workshop kit and Grow with Love.  I think that's it.

Here are the rest of the pages:

My nephew, Ben, on the left and my son, Nathaniel on the right.  Ben had open-heart surgery a year ago in June, so this photo is before that.  Actually this was just days after they found out about the holes in his heart.  I made an album for his parents about the whole experience.  If you'd like to see it, you'll have to ask!

My crazy nephews, Ben's older brothers.

Nathaniel with his Oma, my mom.



My kids with Opa.



My daughter, Arianna, with my sister, and the two cousins side by side.




Back page. If you want to read the journaling, just click on the image to see it larger.

Congratulations to our Challenge Winner!

Thank you to everyone who participated in my last challenge, which was to create a piece of work using only the base and stamped images.  I randomly chose a winner and that person is Leisa!  We didn't get any layouts created, but stay tuned because I'm still planning to do one for you.  I've even chosen a photo.  Leisa, you'll need to send me your address so I can mail you a prize.  I've decided to give you a couple of cards I made recently, but they are a part of my September SOTM display, so you will have to wait until October to get them.

I guess you're ready and waiting for this month's challenge.  This one may not be as difficult or challenging, but then again, it might be.  I want you to create a project with one colour.  You may use multiple shades, but there should only be one colour.  I'll make up a card to show you what I mean as soon I can.

Now that September is here, my dear daughter will be starting JK on Wednesday!  She's very excited and I can hardly believe that the day is almost here.  The neat thing is she will be attending the school I taught at before she was born.  It's a bit like going home for me, except that there are lots of new teachers.  It's been very interesting seeing the school from a parent's perspective now. 

My sweetie is really starting to get curious about Mommy's job and the creating I do.  She decided one day that it was her toy monkey's birthday, her Little People monkey.  Since she had been talking about making a card with me, I offered to help her make a birthday card for her monkey.  She was over-the-moon!  She chose her stamp, inked it up and stamped it herself.  Then she chose the paper, which is just some old stuff I let her play with.  The ribbon came from the Michaels dollar bin.  I bought it for her long ago.  We had lots of fun putting it together and she has had fun using it to celebrate Monkey's birthday over and over.

The monkey images and inside sentiment are from Life's a Jungle.  The Happy Birthday is from Say It In Style.  I look forward to many more cards and layouts made with her.

And did you know that our new Idea Book is live?  Yup, you can now click on the image in my sidebar and go see the entire Idea Book on my website.  Check it out; it's beautiful!

Happy Creating!

Time Together

I love this layout.  It's the new Grace paper kit with the workshop layout and exclusive stamp set.  The example in the workshop brochure is all about a wedding, but I found the colours in these photos of Arianna and Nathaniel fit really well.

 

Some details.

 

 

What you see here is what you will make if you purchase the basic workshop kit, there's nothing else added to it!  If you'd like to see this layout at a workshop, you will need to let me know.  Right now I don't have room for it, but I can shuffle some things around and make it work.

Products used: Grace Level 2 (included in kit), Beautiful Flourish stamp set (included in kit), Small Chocolate alpha stamp set, Rustic Edge Anchors (included in kit), Cocoa and Twilight ink.

Stay tuned to find out who wins a prize for the card part of the challenge.  The new Idea Book goes live tomorrow!  I'll try to get a new challenge up as soon as I can.

Happy Creating!

Scrapbooking For Me.

On Sunday I decided to do some scrapbooking just for me.  Helen Onulak runs a scrapbooking challenge layout each week and the new one posted on Sunday was perfect for me to use.  I did some switching around, but the layout is the same.

I'm trying to use up my older paper and Life Delights was perfect for these photos of my daughter "nursing" her baby Rachel.  I used Friendship Alphabet, but stamped them backwards, using the back of the stamp and then cut them out.  I also used the Butterfly Kiss stamp set, retired slide frames sponged with Chocolate ink, Chocolate grosgrain ribbon and Chocolate and Lilac Mist brads.  I printed the journaling on vellum so that the pattern on the paper would still show through.  Maybe I'll enter this layout in the Practical Scrappers Challenge.

Click on the photos to see them larger and to read the journaling.  It's a fun story.

Happy Creating!