breathe...now smile

Jan OLW Blog Hop | One Step Forward

2012-02-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

ah, so its been 31 days and my word and I have begun to gel together. I'm liking my choice of word and it feels right for me, for now. It is a much better fit that last years word. Last year I never even got around to taking a picture. So this year, I'm one step further ahead already!

I had planned a few days in advance on taking my pic one particular morning, and then it turned out dd ended up having a friend over, so rather than put it off and wait for that 'perfect' time, I just moved forward and went with it. I pulled out the tripod and took a few pics. Well, that drew the curiosity of two four year olds, and once I was done, they had their own mini photo shoot. It was such a fun morning with the two of them moving the tripod around and posing.

The Pre Conference Set Up Strike a Pose

Switch, more posing Peace :) The Post Conference

I can't help but think of how waiting for the 'perfect right' time often leads to so many missed opportunities that we never knew were there. And really, what is a perfect time anyway... time to let that notion go and move forward.

" Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back ..."

Buddha

A theory has only the alternative of being right or wrong. A model has a third possibility: it may be right, but irrelevant.

Manfred Eigen

ONE LITTLE WORD Feb 1, 2012 Blog Hop

Karen You are here :)

Melissa Next up is Melissa

Sam

There are a lot of blogs to visit, I hope you enjoy the stories and journeys shared.

Penny for a Heart

2012-01-30T11:32:00.000-08:00

Its almost February which means time for some valentines. It was a snowy/rainy/cold weekend, so we spent some hours in the craft room making some valentines. Some scrapboook paper, punches, glue, bakers twine and some stamping finshed them off. Best Creation Glitter Cardstock, fullfilled the desire for shiny sparkly hearts without the mess of glitter. Love that!

1 kiddies set is done, 1 is almost done and the last really didn't get much finished :)

Once they got going, I had some time to play too :)

Supplies : Bazzil, MM, Recollections Heart Punch, Bakers Twine

Free Gumball Clip Art I opened it in Photoshop Elements,

changed the colour profile to RGB, used paintbucket to add some red, resize, and print.

“A beautiful thing is never perfect.”
Proverb

Yoga -- Hot

2012-01-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

"With every breath, move forward"

paraphrasing my yoga instructor
(wishing he would say something that would fit this blog post perfectly )

Hot Yoga. Who would have thought I would like that? I don't like sweating, that's the reason I don't like any strenuous exercise, and why I can talk myself out of any good intentions of going to the gym... anyway.....

Hot Yoga. There is something different about it. It is warm, and since its cold out its nice to be warm. And yes I do sweat, alot. But somehow, this time... its OK.

Its close. It has class times that fit into my day (without me changing anything). Its warm. And I feel pretty good afterwards. The instructors are nice. I like 'thanking myself' for coming to class.

Hot Yoga. Does not do a thing for my curly hair though :)

The 26 postures of Hatha Yoga

The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea”

Isak Dinesen

Strawberry, Lemon or Blueberry?

2012-01-02T22:02:00.000-08:00

Fancy a cupcake? A cupcake just makes me smile, so why not make a few more cupcake cards?

tip : Definately go with vellum as the base of the cupcake. The vellum holds its shape and the folds so perfectly compared to regular scrapbook paper :)

(Check out the Cards Blog to see more Vellum cards)

supplies : Websters Pages, font Angelic War, Bazzil

I started with the yellow one just because that was the piece of ribbon I found laying in the pile on my scrapbook table,

and once that was done, it needed a few friends

so why not go with a theme.

yellow = lemon = strawberry =blueberry= Strawberry Shortcake

Late at night, thats how the thinking goes :)

Smile a sunny morning. Sunny is the style. Even if you're yawning, you can yawn a smile.

-Strawberry Shortcake

Goodbye Move Hello Forward | OLW Blog Hop

2012-01-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

(S. found this shell on the beach in Tofino) font Angelic War

As we say good bye to 2011, I say goodbye to my word for the year "Move". Unfortunately, that word and my year were not really in sync. I guess it wasn't the right time or I wasn't in the right mind frame for it to really come to fruition. I kept it in my mind all year but not so much in practice . So now I am ready to let it go.

So for 2012 its time to move forward. And hence my new word is "FORWARD" Time to accept things as they are and move forward.

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.

Lao Tzu

Welcome to the OLW Blog Hop. Here is the list of all the participants.
Margie
Cheri
Veronica
Kara
Rebekah
Sharyn
Jill
Lynn
Monica
Lisa
Cynthia H
Lee
Abbey
Monica B
Nikki
Tere
Melissa S
Nicky
Stephanie
Jenn L
Cindy
Amanda
Sam
Jan
Jamie
Karen

I look forward to sharing our journeys this year

One Little Word at Big Picture Scrapbooking

Out with a Bang | Scrapbook Star Crop

2011-12-29T23:34:00.000-08:00

Scrapbook Star is having one last online crop, starting Jan 15 they are changing formats and moving to a blog to go with their store. So to celebrate the change, they are having an New Years Online Crop. Lots of challenges to get the creativity flowing!

This is for the Mulit-Photo Challenge.

supplies : MME, Fancy Pants, Tim Holtz, Marth Stewart AC Thickers.

This is for the Colour Challenge, using Kraft and White.

supplies : Marth Stewart, Websters Pages, Basic Grey

This was for the new technique challenge

Supplies : Basic Grey, Tim Holtz, AC Thickers, Spellbinders

I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious. ~Albert Einstein

I wonder what Einstein would have googled?

A Little Magic

2011-12-24T23:53:00.000-08:00

As we were getting into the car after Christams Eve dinner, Rob and the girls were outside and what did they see?

But the lights of Santa's sleigh, led by one red light which must have been Rudolf.

Such a fortuitous moment.

The look of belief and awe and wonderment energized us all.

Only 3 more sleeps | Share 3 Christmas Layouts

2011-12-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

Only a few more sleeps until Christmas, so today I have three Christmas layouts to share. (when really I should be wrapping :)

Sometimes with pictures we are capturing the moment and the memory so the actual picture may not be perfect, or it can be filled with lots of people and lots of colours. One way I found to balance that in a scrapbook page, is to use a solid colour background to keep the busy patterened paper to a minimum.

In this one I covered three tags with some great festive Echo Park paper. It fits the fun theme of the photos, and by keeping it to a minimum it doesn't compete with the busy photos.

Another way to use some tags on a layout, is to use them as a frame for photos. In this layout I had a bunch of pictures I wanted to include, so I matted and placed each one of its on tag. There was room for some specific journalling on the tag, and I added some more general journallin on the layout.

This layout I tried a different size photo. This photo is printed as a panoramic 4X10. I chose to make it vertical and then kept the embellishments in that direction as well.

Happy Holidays!

Is it a tag? Is it a card? | Its Scrapbook Star Dec Kit

2011-12-14T23:26:00.000-08:00

This month's kit is such a bright and festive kit featuring Echo Park papers!

Here is a quick tag made using a 3D Christmas tree. (A quick tutorial can be found here)

I needed a quick Thank-you card the other day, so this tag quickly transformed into a thank-you card with a gift card holder inside.

The perfect Christmas tree? All Christmas trees are perfect! ~Charles N. Barnard

Frost

2011-12-09T12:10:00.000-08:00

Love that E noticed the frosty spiderwebs twinkling in the neighbours gate while on the way to school. Love that she noticed such a little but beautiful thing.

All there is to thinking is seeing something noticeable,

which makes you see something you weren't noticing,

which makes you see something that isn't even visible.

Leo Strauss

Trio of Birdhouses | Altered Christmas Craft

2011-11-20T14:08:00.000-08:00

The snow is making it seem a little like Christmas time.

I found these cute bird houses in the Dollar isle at Michaels and decided to decorate each in a Christmas theme.

Ode to Carols

I painted the house with green and the roof and trim with Linen Crackle Paint

Deocrated with Websters Pages

Ode to Snow Storm

Decorated with Bo Bunny and Best Creation

Martha Stewart Snowflake punch

Texture paint

Ode to Candy Cane

Decorated with Queen and Co

buttons and gems
Walnut ink crystals (stain the wood)

A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song. ~Chinese Proverb

Snow-vember?

2011-11-19T19:36:00.000-08:00

One of the perks of living on the west coast is that winter weather usually doesn't arrive until Jan or Feb. Not this year, we had our first sprinkling of snow Thurs night. While it all melted away for Fri morning's drive, it has left the mountains looking very wintery with a dusting of snow.

So with it quietly snowing outside I was creating with a new box of goodies inside. My Minds Eye had a great sketch up, and here is my take on it.

Supplies : My Minds Eye, Websters Pages Stickers, ribbon, Fiskars Punch

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating;

there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.

John Ruskin

This and That | Apparently I like the Butterfly Punch

2011-11-14T23:01:00.000-08:00

This is just a little bit of this and little bit of that kind of post,

maybe its a little bit of this little bit of that kind of week too :)

Lately I've been needing a challenge to get me scrapping,

so here are a few products of a few different challenges.

Check out Scrapbook Star's November Challenges

This is November's Scraplift Tag Game over at The Paper Passion

This is my take on October's Scraplift Tag game.

If you are in need of little creative boost, come join in :)

Apparently I like my Martha Stewart Butterfly Punch used in 3 of the 4 layouts.

(Wondering now if the punch was just out and I was too lazy to go find another,

wondering if I should add some butterflies to Main St. layout to hit 100%,

wondering if one day I'm going to look back and think "what is up with all the butterflies?")

"The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have."

Norman Vincent Peale

Lest We Forget

2011-11-11T22:22:00.000-08:00

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

Windy and cold but no rain

for our

disco dancer, and pair of Minnies.

Judith Olney

Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold.

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Pumpkin Pumpkin Ornament?

2011-10-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

I bought an ornament punch from Stampin' Up a long while ago... I was going to make Christmas cards with ornaments on it...take a moment and pictue it...anyway..that never happened. In fact, I never used the ornament punch to make any ornaments, but I have used it to make vases, 3-D flowers and now pumpkins. I just love it when something is so versatile!

To get the pumpkin shape from the ornament punch, I just

cut off the bottom and top parts of the ornament

and added a stem

There is no harm in repeating a good thing.

Plato

Summer's End | Scrapbook Star Oct Kit

2011-10-15T11:51:00.000-07:00

I guess summer really is over. Scrapbook Star's October Kit is full of light and bright fall colours. I have recieved alot of kits from a variety of places over the years, and there have only been a handful that I've used to the very last scrap...well this one joins that group. The Fancy Pants papers worked so well together, and I love all the embellishments! Kind of wish I took a picture before :)

Everything on the layouts is from the kit, the only thing I added was a bit of bakers twine to one layout,

I still have a Halloween project and some cards to post later on.

But first

the winner from the National Card Making Day is

Pamela

Congratulations! Random Org picked your comment number #5 :)
Let me know your address and I'll send out
a prize!

World Cardmaking Day | Cupcake Wars

2011-10-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

Its World Cardmaking Day!

Around our house the girls have been watching Cupcake Wars so with that on my mind,

here is my own take on it for a set of thank-you cards.

3 cards, 3 cupcakes, 3 seasons for inspiration :)

This is the Winter Wonderland Card, with

the blues and silvers.

supplies : bazzil, font Queen Jellyka's Castle

We R Memory Keepers Merry January Line

This one was inspired by the fall colours and

added a photo turn leaf.

supplies : Basic Grey, Webster's Pages

font: Queen Jellyka's Castle

This is the Summer Bouquet Card, bright

cheerful blooms and colours.

supplies : American Craft City Park LIne, Bazzil

Welcome to the first ever Scrapbook Star World Card Making Day Blog Hop. Hop along with us for some awesome inspiration, new techniques, prizes and most of all fun! Along the way the participants will be giving you a word – when you get to the last stop at the Scrapbook Star message board and have figured out the sentence send an email to store@scrapbookstar.ca and you will be entered in a draw for a prize.

Here’s all the links to the blogs in case you get lost along the way
1. Fleur
2. Shirley
3. Janet
4. Karen - Here you are, and the secret word is day
5. Jemma
6. Tina
7. Melissa (SS Forum)

Leave a comment on this blog for a chance to win a prize :)

If you are inspired to create your own cupcake card, I'd love to see it!

Happy World Card Making Day!

The More We Get Together | Websters Pages and Graphic 45

2011-09-26T10:54:00.000-07:00

Some pics of the 3yr old last day of preschool in June.

Sara had a great year at preschool and we're happy to have her back in the 4yr old class. Ever since she turned 4, she now talks about turning 5 and going to Kindergarten. So I get reminders quite regularly that this is it for preschool for us.

Supplies : Bazzil Basics, Websters Pages, Graphic 45, Fancy Pants

Martha Stewart Punch

"The more we get together, the happier we'll be"

Right Now | Scrapbook Star Sketch

2011-09-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

The weather has begun to change, the last few days have been way cooler, the breeze picked up and today its the rain. I guess summer is officially over a few days early. and since its raining out, why not stay in and scrap? (isn't that the obvious answer for everyone lol)

Over at Scrapbook Star they have some great Sept challenges, and since I'm lucky to join the design team there for the rest of 2011,

come over and say hi and join in :)

This is my take on the September sketch challenge.

Right now : My favourite song is Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5

Right now : Love that Surivior is back on and Ozzy is back

Right now : Happy that the kiddies dance schedule only has us at the studio for 2 days instead of 4

Right now : wish I had more determination to exercise more consisently

Right now : i'm singing and dancing along :)

Todays Math is...

2011-09-05T23:10:00.000-07:00

thirty plus nine equals forty minus one.

The thirties for me have been all about the kiddies,

(pregnacy, birth, babies, nursing, diapers, tantrums, preschool)

and with the little one going off to school next year

it feels like that whole phase will end.

So with that I'm surprisingly ready to turn forty next year

and start a whole new phase of life!

But for now ... I'll enjoy where I'm at.

Me and my birthday girl

taken by the new nine year old

"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened.

Happiness never decreases by being shared.”

Prince Gautama Siddharta

Cake Pops Take Two | Minnie Mouse

2011-08-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

So this time around we tried making silhouette minnie mouse cake pops.

You would think they would be easier than the Hello Kitty ones, but that was not the case.

I don't think the summer heat helped matters at all :)

Gliche #1 : Overmelted/cooked the first batch of white chocolate and when we added the black dye it just turned into a big mess. So we dumped the dying white chocolate to black idea and just went with melted chocolate.

Gliche #2 : We stuck on the ears first and then dipped them into the chocolate. Well that did not work so well... the chocolate was not smooth around the ears, and since the cake pops had been out for a while they weren't strong enough to hold the weight and started to fall off. So we pulled off all the ears, dipped the pops into the chocolate and then added the ears and the bows.

Obvious Fact : Having the kids help is more fun but also more work. The second batch I did myself for the most part and wow! everything went a bit smoother and faster :)

Emma was the one who really wanted to make these; and guess what? She doesn't really like cake or chocolate for that matter! So while she loved making them, she is not going to eat it. So who is going to end up eating them all???

"But how will I eat cake if my head is over there, and my hands are over here?"

— Marie Antoinette

1, 2, 3,4...four

2011-08-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

What does a little one want when they turn four?

Well, if they are my little one, they want strawberries,
Dora Ballet DVD, and Weebles that wobble but don't fall down.
(it gets even more irritating as she plays with the toy :))
Simple, with very little fuss.

We made some strawberry shortcakes, the kids helped and then we added a few candles.

She only ate the strawberries, and only the ones that didn't touch

anything else.

We sang Happy Birthday twice, once in the morning with a few friends

and then in the evening after dinner again.
Hence the two different outfits.
Although she changes her clothes at least 3 times a day on

any normal day :) so its not a surprise she has on different outfits.

The prime purpose of being four is to enjoy being four - of secondary importance is to prepare for being five.

~Jim Trelease, The Read-Aloud Handbook

Happy Birthday!

Colour Combo Galore

2011-08-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

I love a good challenge to get me focussed to scrap. Sometimes when I have too many options and choices nothing really gets accomplished :) so I love any type of scrappy challenges, but especially love the ones where they take the time to dress up the challenges. Over at Color Combos Galore, they always have a beautiful inspiration piece to inspire the colour combo!

Here is my take on #205. Love the little touches of teal, I would never had added that if it wasn't for the challenge.

supplies : Websters Pages, Making Memories, Echo Park, MS Punch, Core'dinations CS

And here is last weeks #204. I'm not to sure if I really like this one or not. I love that I used some old Basic Grey papers, and I enjoyed the process but the overall outcome...hmmmm...not quite sure about it! But in any case its done :)

You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.

Mark Twain

When it rains...

2011-08-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

It rained just one day while we were in Tofino, and for all those who know Island weather that was pretty good :)

The resort has these bright yellow raincoats in every room, so while we did bring our own (I know Island weather)

it was fun to wear the bright yellow ones!

Lauren and Sara loved the tide pools and had a blast jumping in the puddles.

Emma on the other hand stuck it out for a few minutes then it was back

inside for her.

supplies : Websters Pages Yacht Club, Pink Paislee, Prima flowers

The best thing one can do when it is raining

is to let it rain

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Cricut Envy

2011-08-13T19:57:00.000-07:00

I guess I should first admit I own a Silhouette, but seriously this wall art project has me wanting a Cricut. Making Memories With Scrapbooking sold these kits a while ago. They had three versions, a woodland critter, a jungle theme, and a water theme. I loved them all and chose the Woodland Critter one to take home. It was super easy to put together, especially when all the pieces are there and they have a photo for directions :)

I'm not sure what I will do with it, maybe frame it and hang it the toy room.

In any case it was a great summer evening project, and has me thinking that maybe I need a cricut too.

Do I?

Glimpse Into Summer

2011-08-06T22:54:00.000-07:00

Summer scrappings
beach and bubbles
both say summer instatly

supplies : websters pages Ladies and Gents

making memories, websters pages, best creation, marth stewart

supplies: websters papges, 7 gypsies

Summer is where the girls go barefoot and their hearts are just as free as their toes.

Unknown quotes

Summer : July (First and Last)

2011-08-06T22:53:00.000-07:00

July began with a mini BC vacation up to Whistler, and ended with another mini BC vacation out to Tofino.

Lots of beautiful nature to be seen and enjoyed.

"They took all the trees, and put em in a tree museum

And they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them

Don't it always seem to go

That you don't know what you got till it's gone

They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot"

Joni Mitchell

Trial Run

2011-07-27T13:57:00.000-07:00

Bakerella I am not. But we did have some fun baking up a batch of Hello Kitty Cake Pops. It was a trial run, as I was thinking about making some for the kiddies birthdays. Like anything new, it took much longer and we had a few hiccups along the way, but now that we've made them once, the next time things should go much smoother!

Not bad for a first attempt :) And considering the kids can eat them in no time flat, I'm guessing they tasted OK too!

Things to remember

1) Shape the cake more oval, the smaller ones look better too
2) get the assembly line to decorate all set because the melted chocolate hardens fast :)
3) when dipping in the melted chocolate make sure its deep enough to dip the cake pop in all the way once -- it makes it much smoother.
4) The edible pen didn't work, but dipping it into gel food colouring then drawing saved the day.

Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Coincidence? I think not!

~Author Unknown

Halloween in July and Elphaba

2011-07-14T22:52:00.000-07:00

How does one feel like scrapping Halloween pictures in summer? Well it begins with a minor obsession with Elphaba, the completely misunderstood, not-so Wicked Witch of the West. The musical, the music cd, the book and now... goosebumps.... scrapbook paper! Technically the paper is "The Magic of Oz" by Graphic45 but close enough...I'll take it.

But I couldn't in all good conscience order this new paper until I ~~opened~~ used up some of the Halloween in Wonderland paperpack from last year. So the last few days have been a scrapping whirlwind!

"At last we thought you'd never arrive" Love how the cat is in the tree, and how the little guy looks

like he is showing the girls a pumpkin... a little creepy but all Halloween!

Carve : This idea started with Pinterest.

I saw a pic of decorating a pumpkin with black push pins and thought

hey why not use black brads and do the same thing. But since I couldn't find

where I put the new pack of brads I bought just for this layout,

I found some super old Queen and Co felt and here it is instead.

supplies : Graphic 45, Websters Pages, Heidi Swapp, K&C Company gems

Curiouser and Curiouser
I like how it looks like Alice is looking at the bunch of kids saying "hmm..curiouser and curiouser"

supplies: Graphic 45, Tim Holtz, old rubons (can't find the pack to find the name)

Elphaba: "It's just... for the first time... I feel... wicked."

Rock Star Love

2011-07-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

Best Creations Rock Star line was absolutely perfect for a picture of L all dressed up for her jazz dance performance. All three girls were in the same show (whew!) but that also meant being super organized and a few quick changes of costumes between their dances. I'm sure I'll have a bunch of layouts to share sooner or later :)

You can see some more 'square' layouts with the Best Creation team here.

The grand finale song with all the kids in the entire show was danced to Justin Bieber,
and really, don't we all just need somebody to love :)

Tag! You're It! | The Paper Passion

2011-06-30T19:49:00.000-07:00

Over at the Paper Passion they had a fun game of Tag going on. One layout was secretly choosen and the first person scraplifted it, the second person only sees what the first person created...and so on down the list, until everyone has created a layout. Then its so fun to see the line of layouts and how they changed along the way. Kind of like that telephone game but with scrapping supplies :)

You can see the chain of layouts here.

This is Sara seeing the 'Astro Obitor' or rocket ships as she calls them for the first time at Disneyland. She was so excited she kept pulling her daddy's hair and practically clawed his nose off :)

Supplies : Basic Grey, Pink Paislee, Best Creation,

and here's another Disney Layout. Love the black and white with a splash of pink!

"Laughter is an instant vacation."

Anonymous

Add a little Shine | Altered Lamp Shade

2011-06-27T20:30:00.000-07:00

I decided I needed a new lamp, actually I've needed one for a while, but lately I'd had enough of getting out of bed to turn the light off when I was finished reading and ready for bed.... so I found this lamp at Winners. Yippee! Loved the grey colour! But I felt it needed a little something. So with one piece of Best Creation Silver Glitter Cardstock, the lamp was given a face lift!

The bottom ruffle part is just 1" piece of the glitter cardstock folded and glued. The flowers are simple circle rolled flowers with a bit of Tim Holtz ribbon in the centre. The butterflies were punched using a Martha Stewart Punch.

tip : the glitter cardstock is very thick and sturdy which is great for many projects but not so great with a detailed punch (or maybe I'm not just strong enough :)) Anyway, so I peeled the silver glitter part away from the cardstock, and it peeled off in a pretty big piece. So then I fed that into the punch and Voila! Beautiful silver butterflies!

In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary. ~Aaron Rose

Shine Rock Star Shine

2011-06-22T17:35:00.000-07:00

Everyone has an inner rock star, so let it shine!

These 4 6X6 chipboard piece fit together to make a 12X12 canvas

Emma has put it up right above her desk!

supplies: Best Creation Rock Star Collection, Inkadoodle image

I have choosen (or rather Random Org has choosen) a winner from the

Best Creation Summer Blog Fun

Winner is #2 : Christy!will be contacting you tonight :)

But just so everyone knows, Canada Post is on strike

so there is no mail service. The prize will be sent out

as soon as mail delivery starts again!

Summer...Water...Prizes...Oh my!

2011-06-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

If you hop over to the Best Creation blog on June 17th & 18th, you will find lots of water-themed projects. There are guessing games with prizes to be won, a Where's Waldo Search and many of the designers are having giveaways on their blogs.

For a chance to win a 6X6 Best Creation Paper Pad leave me a comment by June 20th.

"In summer, the song sings itself."

William Carlos Williams

3D Paper Carousel Project

2011-06-10T21:25:00.000-07:00

Ok first off, carousel is a hard word to spell, so be warned that it will probably be spelled differently every time to type it in this post!

This is a cute fun project using Best Creations Loops and Scoops line. Its a 3D Paper Carousel.

Supplies : Best creation Glitter Cardstock, Loops and Scoops pp,

Helmar Adhesive, Spellbinders Dies.

INSTRUCTIONS

Supplies : Using Spellbinders Circle Dies, cut four circles and then cut out a smaller inner circle on just 2 of the circles.

2 2"X12" strips of paper

8" X12" piece of paper to roll for the middle

Carousel pp to cut out for the horses

Score the 2X12" picces of paper at about .25 on both sides, then cut out notches. This is so that you can shape it into a circle for the base and the top of the carousel.

Add some adhesive to the solid circle and then wrap the notched paper around.

Adhere the circle with the hole in it on top.

Do the same for the top.

To make the middle section, simple roll the 8X12" paper into a roll and using the circle with the inner hole

as a guide, make the roll fit snugly then adhere the edges.

Once the bottom and top bases are made, its time to decorate and add the horses.

My original one I used Glitter Cardstock not white paper, however I forgot to take pics along the way :)

Its easier if you use some patterened paper to begin with.

There is something magical about a traditional carousel ride.

It is not wild or thrilling or scary, just simply fun.

The intricate details on most horses and canopies, the music,

the horses going up and down.

Simple enjoyment!

California Adventure Layouts

2011-06-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

Out of all the Disneyland trips we have taken and all the Disneyland layouts completed I don't think I've done a single Disney's California Adventure layout. Well this post remedies that!

This past March trip to Disneyland, we actually spent alot more time in California Adventure than in Dinseyland! Even though there were construction walls up everywhere we still had fun. It will be fun to go back in a year or two to see all the results.

Posing with their newly won Fishing Mickey on the trail by

Redwood Creek on the way back to our hotel.

Supplies : Websters Pages, Best Creation Letter Stickers, Prima pp, Tim Holtz tickets

Best Creations Loops and Scoops line was perfect for these pics.

They are bright and colourful and have the right amount of theme to them.

They fit so wonderfully for the Paradise Pier rides.

This is the first 2 page layout I've done in ages!

Best Creation Loops and Scoops, traced Tim Holtz Grungeboard letters, rubons

Helmar adhesive

The absolutely worst part of the roller coaster ride is when it stops right at the beginning and we are waiting for it to 'launch' . Right at that time, I always think "why am I doing this?"

supplies : Best Creation Loops and Scoops, Glitter Dot pp

Bugs Land is always a great place to hang out.
They rides have no lines and they go from one to the next.
This time, the girls were old enough to drive themselves in the bumper cars and
sara was tall enough to join in the fun.

Supplies : Best Creation Loops and Scoops, Tim Holtz Tissue Tape,
Artsyliscious letters
(Photo Aug 2010)

"There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island."
Walt Disney

More thoughts

2011-06-02T21:42:00.000-07:00

OK so I'm still thinking about Amy Chua's book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.

One comparison kind of sticks in my mind. She has two daughters, one plays piano and the other plays the violin. I have two daughters playing instruments. One plays piano and the other plays the violin.

The parts where she describes how much harder the violin is compared to learning the piano really connected with me. I have never played the violin so trying to help Lauren practice is impossible, so at the recommendation of her teacher I also sit through the violin lessons
.
I have noticed the more I participate in their practicing, the better they do. Quite simple actually.

Practice doesn't make perfect. It just makes you better.

— Tawa Suleman

(note to kids: I'm inspired to help you practice more often :) )

[Random.org helped to pick 2 winners from the Best Creation Blog Hop
#9 and 16
I'm contacting you tonight!]

Thoughts on Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mother

2011-06-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

This is a memoir type book written by a Amy Chua who believed in raising her children in a very strict "chinese style" way.   Apparently an exerpt was published in a magazine that started a controversy...however I think anyone who reads the full book has a better sense of her and her humour and its not as controversial as people make it seem.

It was an easy read, I read it in one night.   Her writing style is direct and to the point, no flowery language for her :)
Overall I liked it. I would recommend it to anyone who was interested in reading it.
I was mildly surprised that I agreed with her many many times, but disagreed at the extreme extent at which she went at times. I guess like anything, moderation is the key :)

My list of things I liked

1) "assume strength not fragility"

2) "One of the worst things you can do for your child's self esteem is to let them give up."

3) "There's nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do something you thought you couldn't"

4) "To get good at anything you have to work"

5) "Family stays together...you support your sisters"

I think it is admirable at the amount of time and effort she spends with and for her children.   Whether people like or dislike her parenting style, I believe that any story is an opportunity to learn...and I like the message that kids need to learn that through hard work they can be successful, and that hard work is hard, it is not fun, and you have to work hard even when you don't want to.    I think the confidence that kids gain from something they worked very hard for is so much more valuable than just empty words from parents telling their kids "they can do it".

I also think that alot of parents don't give their kids enough credit. Kids in general are capable of so much more. Whining and complaining is natural, but it doesn't mean they can't do it, and with some positive support from parents, they can do it. I think Amy Chua describes well that getting kids to do more is not fun for the parents either, so in essence, the parents can't give up either.

If you are interested, her daugther Sophia. has started a blog.

It's not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can't tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself. ~Joyce Maynard

Teacher's Gift | Best Creation Blog Hop

2011-05-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Grab your suntan lotion and a towel and

get ready for a fun Summertime Hop to get some great ideas

to get caught up with old summer photos and lots of ideas

for inspiring you for this summer too!!

Its not quite summer time yet, so before school lets out here is a great

craft the kids can do to make a gift for their teacher.

I used Best Creation I Love America line and cut out

long triangle shapes, and then simply rolled

the paper and added a bit of glue to the end to

hold the roll in place.

The longer the triangle the thicker it

is in the middle, so if you don't want them too thick just adjust the

length of the triangle.

Once a few rolls were made, using some liquid glue

I adhered them onto cardstock.

I pre printed the monogram first to give the kids a framework

to work within.

The teachers name can be added first by computer printer or after

using rubons or stickers or even have the kids hand write it.

Next on the hop is Jona who has another great project to share with everyone.

Don't forget to leave a comment on the Best Creation blog , Twitter, and Facebook for three chances

to win a June Release prize,

and for another chance to win

I will choose a winner from the comments on my blog for a prize from the May Release papers.

Happy hopping!

Contest ends Sunday May 29th at Midnight.

Winners choosen and contacted

Teachers Gifts | Crayon Monograms

2011-05-25T16:02:00.000-07:00

Its almost the end of the year and time to think about a gift for the kids

teachers. The girls absolutely love their teachers and wanted
to make somthing special for them.

I saw this project on Pinterest and instantly thought it was perfect.
I printed out the monogram and the teachers name on
an 8X8 piece of cardstock,
and then kids took over.
They cut, arranged and glued the crayons in place.

On Friday I have a paper variation of this project to share :) as part of a Blog Hop with Best Creation.

The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called "truth." ~Dan Rather

Sunshine is like Prozac

2011-05-24T12:38:00.000-07:00

The sun is nature's Prozac. ~Astrid Alauda

I don't know who Ms. Alauda is but I definitely agree with her. It has been a long, cold and wet spring and I am missing the sunshine. Last week we had a few days of warm bright sunshine and that seemed to recharge my batteries a bit. The days it was sunny, I felt lighter, more energetic and more creative. Here's to hoping the sunshine stays :)

One evening after dinner we went out in the backyard and the kids played with bubbles. There is nothing (well maybe popsicles) that is so simple yet it is guaranteed fun every time.

Supplies : Best Creation pp, Tim Holtz , Pink Paislee

Gone Camping {but not really}

2011-05-16T09:55:00.000-07:00

One of the new lines from Best Creation is called "Gone Camping" and for a girl like me who doesn't ever see herself camping I was a bit concerned how I was going to use the papers :) Turns out the colours and the designs can work in so many other ways other than 'gone camping'. I just love it when things that seem so set for one thing, can be used in a so many different ways.

Supplies : Best Creation Gone Camping, Websters Pages, font 1942 report

Supplies : Best Creation Gone Camping
Spellbinders dies

Love all the sparkly word circles

"The question is not what you look at, but what you see."

Henry David Thoreau

Balance

2011-05-04T22:08:00.000-07:00

Well its playoff season and we've jumped on the bandwagon. I pulled out my old Trevor Linden jersey and girls had fun modelling it for me.

But what really surprised me was the background pp for this layout. I've had this line for months and months and have used it on countless layouts, but I never noticed the orca whales in the background of the pp. They are hidden amongst the swirls and the polka dots.

Since they fit in perfectly with the pics, I decided to move them from the background and let them stand out a bit. I cut them out, covered the hole with a piece of coordinating pp and then adhered them back on.

Now the whales take centre stage :)

Supplies : Best Creation Surfs Up, Best Creation Glitter paper

BG and MM chipboard letters

Spellbinders dies

It is such a balancing act of when to stay quiet and be in the background,

and when to step up and be centre stage.
I think there are times when both are necessary, and the hard part

is deciding when to be what.

Sometimes I think when you really want to be quiet and fade in the background

that might be the time to step up,

and times when you want to be loud might be the time to be quiet and listen.

Its about balance.

Its about seeing beyond yourself.

Its about the bigger picture.

Its decision making

Its about having confidence and believing in yourself.

I hope my girls learn this.

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying,

"I will try again tomorrow"

Mary Anne Radmacher

”You miss 100% of the shots you never take.” - Wayne Gretzky

Words

2011-05-02T21:29:00.000-07:00

I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy.
"Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

- Martin Luther King, Jr

Easter Egg Layout

2011-04-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

Kids enjoyed colouring and dyeing their easter eggs

A little variation on the banner theme.

Supplies : Best Creation pp, Rob and Bob rubons

Calming the Nerves

2011-04-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

I don't think I'd make a good sports fan. I don't watch the games regularly, I only know a few players. And worst of all, I detest close games.   The type of game that has everyone else on the edge of their seat and totally engaged and invested in the game... Me, I like the type of game where one team, (hopefully ours but even if it is the other team, I'm OK with that), is ahead by a couple of goals. The pressure is not so extreme then. I can watch peacefully :)

Wednesday nights Canucks game was the type that causes me to worry and get all anxious and nervous. It was game 7, after losing the last 3 games, the pressure was high.   I wanted to watch but I couldn't watch... so I compromised.

I cuddled up on the couch with a book in hand. That way I could hear the game and watch out of the corner of my eye. Worked great! Especially because the Canucks won in overtime (which for me meant another period of stress)

The book of choice was Hunger Games. Seriously good young adult book. It is high on my list of best young adult books ever. The other two being   The Giver and The Maestro. All three are books that once you start you can't put down.    I love the pace of the Hunger Games, it was fast paced and engaging. I like that the beginning was a bit mysterious and it took a bit of time to figure out. I couldn't put it down, and ended up reading the entire book last night.   Which also meant a trip to the book store to get the next two in the triology. Just in time for tonights game :)

(PS The characters in the book deal with life and death situations much better than I deal with watching a hockey game lol)

I have to admit that my girls who have never watched sports on TV (except during the Olympics)

have jumped on the bandwagon.

Go Canucks Go signs are waving in our house,

E. is having conversations about which goalie they should use,

L discusses their uniform colours

S is all about cheering

they constantly ask their daddy questions about the game

(which probably annoys the heck out him)

I love that they call a penalty a "time out"

Go Canucks Go!

Creative Ways to Use Border Punches | Gift Wrap

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

It is Hip Hop time again ladies so grab your Bunny Ears and come on a fun hop with us to learn lots of incredible techniques to use all those fun border punches that you have.

Our first stop on the Hop is our talented Jodi Wilton and as your are being inspired be sure and pick up the mystery letters on each ladies blog as you go to spell our mystery word. Send this to teresa@bestcreation.us for a chance to win our grand prize and leave comments on our facebook and all of the design team for 2 more chances to win your choice of a pack of glittery goodness.

I chose to showcase using your border punches to make faux ribbon for gift wrap.

Its a great way to use up some scraps :)

Here I layered some coordinating pp punched with the same border punch.

Tip : Its easier if you score the faux ribbon before you wrap especially

if the pp is thick.

Instead of bow or a flower for a gift topper why not

have stand up characters.

supplies : Best Creation Princess Ballerina, Robot lines,

Fiskars, EK Success border punches.

If you are here for Best Creation's Blog Hop,

you have arrived after seeing Debbie's great project,

and next you are off to see Tracy's.

The Letter to collect from here is C

Enjoy the rest of the creations and we hope you are inspired to use border punches in a creative way :)

Robot #1

2011-04-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

Here is a cute Robot Tic Tac Toe card using Best Creation's Robot line, and some glitter paper.

The girls liked the tic tac toe idea and wanted to pull off the little robots so they could play! So I made them a 12X12 version and stuck a magnetic back onto the sheet and the little robots, so now we can play without wrecking my card lol.

"Robot Number One. Hit the switch and turn me on.

Robot Number One. We're gonna have some fun. "

lyrics from Hi-5 permanently ingrained in my brain from

when the older two were little

Ballerina Box | Instructions and Template

2011-04-20T22:16:00.000-07:00

A paper ballerina box, how cute is that. Simple too!

Here is the box closed, the ribbon just ties into a bow ontop

Here it is with the top lid opened to reveal the ballerina.

Here it is with the middle lid opened to reveal the inside of the box. Perfect for holding a small gift, treats for a party or just a little girls or boys treasures.

Instructions and Template

To make the box you will need 1 piece of cardstock or heavier patterend paper. I used Best Creation Ballerina Princeses.

1) Cut a piece 5" by 11"
2) Make fold lines (score) vertically at 3", 4", 7" 8"
3) Make fold lines (score) horizontally at 1" from the top and bottom.

4) Cut out the first side rectangle shapes. The ones beside the front flap.
5) Make a cut at each of the vertical fold lines just to the 1" fold line.

Now you are ready to fold it into a box.

Pre-fold all the fold lines first, this will make it much easier to fold into the box shape.

Start with the bottom base and fold the sides up and adhere the flaps to the inside.

Attach two pieces of ribbon to the inside of the box, so that the ribbon can be

used to tie it up at the end.

Then fold the middle lid and tuck the flaps in. Do not adhere them as this lid will open.

Once the box is assembled, then its time to decorate!

I used paper and embellishments from Best Creation

Ballerina Princess line.

The cute ballerina is a sticker from that line.

This is a great template for a box, it is fast becoming one of my favourite.

My dd, with a bit of help, made an easter one with bit of chocolate in it for her teacher.

"A box without hinges, key, or lid, yet golden treasure inside is hid.”

J.R.R. Tolkien

Bed Sheets | 2 pictures 13 years

2011-04-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

We got married 13 years ago on a very windy day in March. It was Easter Long Weekend that year.
Now here we are over a decade later just before another Easter Long Weekend.
and the topic of this reflection is bed sheets.

Thirteen years ago, the bed sheets I picked out as a newlywed were a deep burgundy colour. I remember loving those bed sheets. I had matching towels and everything.

Well now thirteen years later, the latest bed sheets I picked out are just a bit different :) We had plain white bedsheets for a while now. I liked how crisp and fresh they looked, but I was ready for a change a bit of colour. I loved this set as soon as I saw it. Love the pop of red and brown on the white. Still light, but now very springy!

Anyway on to the pics

Bed sheets I liked 13 years ago,

and bed sheets I love today.

Things I learned from this post :

1) Finding a picture of 13 year old bed sheets that I couldn't remember the name of is very difficult, but not impossible :) Got to love google!

2) New bed sheets and a freshly made bed do not inhibit the children from jumping on the bed

3)Changing part of the room makes we want to decorate the rest of the room. More work for me. Thinking of some vintage eiffel tower pics or vintage maps to frame above the bed...hmmm....

No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap. ~Carrie Snow

The quote actually makes me sigh. The one thing I miss about life 13 years ago is sleep. I used to sleep alot. I was a master napper. Now even when I get the chance, my sleep isn't the same. Even when I can sleep in, I still wake up at the slightest noise, and it just doesn't feel the same.

Oh well, maybe I just to practice more!

Ballerina Princess

2011-04-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

Twirls, swirls, tutu's and crowns. Pink and sparkly.

That is the perfect combination for the Ballerina Princess line from Best Creation.

This one was done using a sketch from Page Maps.

I love how the colours looks so different agains the black background.

The flowers are from the Sweeti Pie line.

Anyway, we are off to dance class. She is taking 'jazz' dance, but likes

to tell everyone that she does

"'hip hop dance'. Teacher Courtney shows

me how to do hip hop. A new one, hip hop."

lol :)

It takes an athlete to dance, but an artist to be a dancer. ~Shanna LaFleur

the happiest place on earth | Page Maps Sketch

2011-04-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

I had big plans for today. It was gardening day. We were going to tackle the front flower bed, weed it all out and make the tulips that are already blooming look so pretty. That was the plan.

We did make it outside after lunch, we got all the supplies we needed, we even started to get our hands dirty...but while the sun was out, the wind was also out. It was not a gentle spring breeze, more like a howling winter gust. So after about 10 min, we packed it all up and ran back inside.

It wasn't a totally wasted afternoon, as we got to play in the scraproom. The girls made cards for their teachers and I worked on a layout.

This is the April Sketch from PageMaps. I turned it onto its side so that it worked better for the picture I had.

Supplies : Patterened Paper : WRMK, 7 gypsies, My Minds Eye

Title : Making Memories, Rob and Bob Studio

Pink Paislee Ribbon, Cuttlebug sizzix dies, Tim Holtz die

Here's to hoping that Spring is here to stay :)

Oh the Places You'll Go | Graduation Layout

2011-04-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

I remember when this one was born. I was in university. We woke up super early to make it to the hospital in time to wait and then see you right after you were born. (OK it was probably around 6am, but back then, that was super early :) I bought you a helium balloon filled with confetti, Beatrix Potter books, a little blue outfit and a teddy bear. and look at you now, all grown up, ready to go, "ready for your life to begin" (to quote Rapunzel).

I have no great words of wisdom to pass down but I do love Dr. Seuss's "Oh the Places You'll Go". I think that in his own style, he has lots of wisdom to share. So I hope you pick up your copy and give it a good read.

Supplies : Best Creation, AC Thickers, Jolee's Boutique

"With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,

you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

Step with care and great tact

and remember that Life's

a Great Balancing Act.

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes

You can steer yourself

any direction you choose.

You're on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go."

Congrats to the Class of 2011!

My Core’dinations Creative Frenzy

2011-04-09T14:23:00.000-07:00

The last two days have indeed been a core'dinations creative frenzy! With all my work and all those reports done, it felt great to get creative again. Thanks to quick delivery by Kate at Scrap and Stamp, I had a pile of new paper to play with. I thought I'd share three projects.

I just love the Hungry Caterpillar story by Eric Carle. This is a cute card I made using that story as inspiration. The caterpillar was made by first using my cuttlebug with Spellbinders oval die, and cut out all his body pieces. (The Spellbinders die easily cuts through 2-3 pieces of cardstock at once :)) Then I put them into a variety of embossing folders and sent them through the cuttlebug again. The details I just hand cut out of scraps.

Supplies : Core-dinations Cardstock, Best Creation, Junkitz,

cuttlebug embossing folders, Spellbinders, American Craft rubons

Seriously, this girl knows how to relax!

Her older sister is always on the move, always wanting to do something and can't sit still,

but this one... she's got that vacation mode down pat!

Pic by the pool just before sunset.

The note paper for the journalling isn't note paper at all :)

Its a piece of core'diantions cardstock embossed with a Tim Holtz folder, add

a bit of sanding and a bit of ink.

Love how it looks like notepaper, and love how deep the lines are embossed.

Supplies : Core-dinations Cardstock, Best Creation pp, Tim Holtz embossing folders,

Martha Stewart butterfuly punch,

Kaiser Craft gems, Recollections stamps.

With the girls taking hip hop lessons, we were interested to see the Hip Hop Dance Show in Disney's California Adventure, and were surprised to meet "Hip Hop" Mickey! Rather than go with the birght colours of Mickey's outfit, I decided to go with a 'grungy/ hip hop' kind of feel to the layout. Lots of black and greys, and lots of embossing and sanding. The core-dinations black magic cardstock was perfect for this, because it is black on the outside but once you sand it, a range of colours come through :)

Supplies : Core'dinations Cardstock, Pink Paislee, Basic Grey Chipboard,

Tim Holtz grungeboard, Tim Holtz/Sizzix Embossing Folders

"We have eyes, and we're looking at stuff all the time, all day long.
And I just think that whatever our eyes touch should be beautiful, tasteful, appealing, and important. "

Eric Carle

Hope you see something beautiful today!

Excited about Eggs

2011-04-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

Since right after Valentines Day, little Sara has been obsessed with Easter and Easter eggs. We go grocery shopping and she holds onto that carton of eggs like its a new baby, she almost freaked out when the lady put the eggs in a bag with something else as opposed to giving them back to her. Another day, she cheered "hooray" when she saw the eggs at the store. She opens the refrigerator and looks at the eggs and counts them....all in prepartion for Easter. Right now all three are hiding plastic easter eggs around the house and then running around looking for them. Hiding probably isn't the right word, its more like throwing them randomly :)

I don't think she remembers last year, but she is ready!(Thanks to a Max and Ruby/Dora DVD) I've held her off, but now that it is April I have a feeling we will be dying and decorating some eggs this weekend :)

Here are a few Easter Cards to get us started.

supplies : Best Creation, Stamping Up!, Spellbinders, EK Sucess

Supplies : Best Creation, Martha Stewart Punch

supplies : Best Creation, Fiskars, Marth Stewart

...then comes baby in a baby carriage...| 3D Baby Stroller Project

2011-03-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

No I'm not announcing anything :)

Just showing a super cute project using Spellbinders Nestabilities

and some great Best Creation pp.

The Nestabilities worked great in my little Cuttlebug.

I just added a piece of chipboard (a page from a mini album I haven't used) as a spacer, and it worked great!

Instructions found here

It was surprisingly easy to make. The base inside is just a folded box, around it are some semi circles, circles for wheels, the the carriage top are just rectangular strips put together.

Using the scalloped edged dies makes it a bit fancier, but plain works well too.

Supplies : Best Creation Bella Line, Glitter Polka Dots, Nestabilities Dies, Fiskars Threading Water Punch

"Forever is composed of nows."

-- Emily Dickinson

Enjoy today.

Picnic with Teddy Bears

2011-03-26T22:21:00.000-07:00

After showing the little one the teddy bear picnic mini book she decided that she would have a picnic with her own teddy bears.

There was a patch of sunshine in the backyard one morning and away she went :)

Complete with blankets, snacks and a book to read.

(March 8 2011)

"Beneath the trees, where nobody sees

They'll hide and seek as long as they please

Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic"

I just love finding a patch of sunshine to enjoy!

Todays the Day .... | Best Creation Mini Albumn Blog Hop

2011-03-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

"If you go out in the woods today

You're sure of big surprise

If you go out in the woods today

You'd better go in disguise.

For every bear that ever there was

Will gather there for certain, because

Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic"

Every year near grandma's house there is a community Teddy Bear Picnic that begins with a parade. It is an annual event for us. We started going when my oldest nephew was little and he is now graduating!

This is a mini book 3"X4" of the 2010 parade.

Supplies : Best Creation (Bella, Bunny Love, Jubilee)

Tim Holtz tissue tape, Fiskars Punch

Helmar Adhesive

Love how simple this mini book was to create.

It was one piece of 12X12cut into 3X4" strips and folded in half for the pages
and the rest I just used a few scraps.

At the end of a complicated day, its nice to do something simple :)

If you are joining in on the Best Creation Blog Hop,

you have arrived here from Sarah's blog and next on the list is Katrina's blog.

Hope you enjoy the creations, and good luck in winning the fabulous prize!

Seductive Secrets and Triangles

2011-03-06T19:13:00.000-08:00

Secrets are so seductive, they make private connections between people for good and for naught. They make a person smile from the inside out. But a secret is a secret and really they come to no good. I had a very hard time getting into The House at Riverton, but last night as I was avoiding my own life, I got into it and finished it in one evening. The ending was very engaging and the thoughts swirling around about the power of secrets no matter how big or small, how important or insignificant at the time was well played out.

The other part of the novel that struck a chord within me was the author's description around three siblings. She speaks of this connection of three throughout the novel, and I found her descriptions intriguing.

"Rule number three: only three may play. No more, no less. Three. A number favoured as much as art as by science: primary colours, points required to locate an object in space, notes to form a musical chord. Three points of a triangle, the first geometrical figure. Incontrovertible fact : two straight lines cannot enclose a space. The points of a triangle may move, shift allegiance, the distance between two disappear as they draw away from the third, but together they always define a triangle. Self-contained, real, complete."

And here is my completely staged photo to go with the quote!

The triangle is the kids elastic skipping rope (we used to call it Chinese Skipping,

( although I"m not sure if that is politically correct term now )

In any case, the kids cooperated to an extent so all is good:)

Happy reading.

OLW February

2011-03-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

I can't believe its the last day of February already, sometimes it feels like time moves so quickly and it is all a blur.   I'm guessing its an age thing :)

This month I feel I did better with my goal of finding time to move within my schedule, as opposed to making separate time to exercise. I was much better at going for quick walks while waiting for the girls while they were in dance and gymnastics.  I have to admit that most of the time a trip to Starbucks was planned along the route. In any case the nicer weather totally helps :)

I also focused on moving towards my goal of taking care of my skin a bit better, and have been fairly regular with moisturizer, and I tried a new tinted moisturizer for the daytime, with that add a bit of mascara and lipstick and that has to be the most makeup I've worn in years!

I am also happy to report that after close to four years I finally got my wedding rings resized so I can wear them again! Although this totally has Sara in awe with mommy's new shiny rings, and she wants to constantly trade her Dora and Hello Kitty rings for mine. Right now she is wearing them to bed :)

The assignment for February was to take some pictures related to our word. Once finished the pictures will be 3X2 and fit behind the word cards made for January. I still need to take pics of the rings (see comment above), Starbucks (another trip is needed in order to take the pic (wink), and the moisturizer stuff. But I love the pictures spelling our the word "move"

If you are following the OLW Blog Hop, you started at

Margie who has done a fabulous job organized all this,

and just before mine you were visiting Holly

and now its off to visit Claudia.

"You can change your world by changing your words"

Joel Osteen

I Love a Good Quote

2011-02-28T12:29:00.000-08:00

Well the title says it all. A good quote sometimes just sums it up perfectly.

"Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our

footprints in the sand are gone " ~ anonymous

I absolutely loved how the photo matched up with the patterened paper in the

background, the skyline, the waves and the sand all lined up perfectly

with the pp. Very cool :)

Lots more quotes and pages over at the Best Creation blog today.

Supplies : Best Creation pp, BG buttons, Pink Paislee Chipboard letters

MS butterfly Punch, Pink Paislee Tickets

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful

we must carry it with us or we find it not"

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Supplies : Websters Pages, Pink Paislee, MS Punch

We are enjoying a beautiful sunny day here.

Its perfect winter weather. There is snow on the ground,

but the sun is out, and the roads are all clear!

Enjoy today :)

More Jubilee and Hot Air Balloons

2011-02-22T00:12:00.000-08:00

Just a few more from Best Creation's Jubilee line.

This girl loves the swings! Everyday while we wait for her sisters before or after school, she is on those swings. I remember when her sisters were little, I would spend hours in our backyard pushing them on our swings too. We put up a sunshade over the swings so we could be out there in the rain too.

Maybe its genetic :)

"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. "

Joseph Chilton Pearce

World to Discover Decor | Best Creation Jubilee Hot Air Balloons

2011-02-13T22:18:00.000-08:00

This all started last summer. Emma really wanted her own room, so we decided that for her birthday we would rearrange the bedrooms, and she could have her own room. So it all began, the shopping for new bedroom furniture and the search for new decor. The room was changing from a nursery to a big girl room. I didn't want to go with her Tinkerbell theme as I thought she would out grow that really quickly. So while searching for new art work I found the "Ballooning over Paris" art print and knew I had the start to a great theme.

Lauren loved the theme idea so we have a similar theme going on in her bedroom as well. (I messed up while putting up her words on the wall, so I have to order some new ones)

The two art pieces completely inspired me to create my own canvas of "Ballooning over Vancouver". I originally was going to make it 8X10, but then I found this 16X20 canvas in my craft room and thought "why not" All the paper is from Best Creations Jubillee line.

The 3D hot air balloons were easy to make. I hand drew the shape I wanted, and then cut out three identical shapes from the patterned paper. Folded them each in half, with the design I wanted to see on the inside. Then glued the flaps of the middle piece one of the flaps on each end. The outside edge flaps glued flat onto the canvas.

Stay tuned for Tuesday's Best Creation Blog for more creations using the Jubilee line.

"Life is a journey and only you hold the map"

Capture the Moment

2011-02-12T22:43:00.000-08:00

Lately it seems like the littlest one is now all grown up. So when I saw her with her fingers and hair twirling I wanted to capture it to remember this time, I just think that soon she will give this up too.

Right now she love all things fancy and the more jewelry the better :) She loves rings, bracelets, necklaces, fancy dressup shoes, dressup in mommy and big sisters clothes, lipstick, but she absolutely hates having her hair combed. So most of time she looks like a little troll doll, the kind we used to have on top of pencils where you rub the pencil between your hands the troll's hair would go wild. That's us.

We only get the hair into a somewhat decent ponytail for dance class and as soon as it is over she pulls it out. But at least it stays in for the class, that is a start :)

Spring Flower Blog Hop

2011-02-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Best Creation is having our First Blog Hop of the new season today and our theme is "Creating Handmade Spring Flowers" On each blog you will find lots of incredible projects and ways to create and use spring flowers that you can make yourself!

In order to win our Grand Prize be sure and collect the kinds of flowers made on each blog and send the list to teresa@bestcreation.us. Also be sure and leave comments along your way on each of our DTs. blogs and especially on the Best Creation blog at the end of the hop. Be sure and check out www.bestcreationinc.blogspot.com for the list of prizes you are going to win.

Welcome! I have used the Cuttlebug Quilling Kit to make some valentine flowers. Since the dies are longer than the regular cutting plates I used the Big Shot 12" cutting plates, and even though they are a different company they work just fine. I ended up cutting two pieces of cardboard (just the flaps from a 12" scrapbooking box) to add under the plates to get the right pressure. I cut some 12" by 1" strips of Best Creation Polka Dot Glitter Cardstock and was ready to go!

Tip : With the Rose Die I found it easier to roll the middle section with the quilling tool and then roll the next two sections by hand. It just seemed to work easier for me. Although with the Chrysanthemum dies, it was easier to do all three sections together with the quilling tool.

Once a bunch of flowers were made, I attached them to a styrofoam heart that I wrapped with Tim Holtz tissue tape.

Added some finishing touches. Some glitter hearts (Best Creation Glitter paper, MS punch), Recollections flowers, quote.

"Kindness in giving creates love' Lao Tzu

Next along the blog hop is Sarah's blog.

Thanks for playing along and hope you enjoy the bouquet of spring flowers!

Year of the Rabbit | Art and Colour Inspiration

2011-02-03T22:23:00.000-08:00

So its the Year of the Rabbit this year, and in celebration of the lunar new year,

over at the Inspired Scrapper,

there is a Colour and Art Inspiration Challenge.

(art by Li Lin)

I was totally inspired by the colours and the blossoms on the branch. I decided to give it a more valentine spin by using hearts as the blossoms. (The girls have been busy making their valentines for the past few days, so I've got that holiday on my mind :))

This is a 5X7 canvas, that now on the wall near my computer.

supplies : Heritage Handcrafts Dimensional Paint, Basic Grey pp,

Best Creation Glitter Cardstock, Echo Park

I stamped over the Dimensional Paint and it really gives it a cool effect!

Its hard to see but looks much better IRL

"There is no remedy for love but to love more" Henry David Thoreau

One Little Word | January

2011-01-31T23:26:00.000-08:00

So here we are on the last day of January and I have my January prompts from Ali Edwards One Little Word to share.

"In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillnes inside of you"

Deepak Chopra

The word I chose is an action word, a word of movement however this month it felt like I needed to be still for some time and let things settle before I could continue. So while I my One Little Word is move, this month it was the absence of movement, stillness that fit into my month.

Over this month I ordered a new album with the fancy page protectors, decided on a word (which really didn't take hold yet), and completed most of the prompts (tonight). The picture of myself is the last one left. I did take some pics on two occassions but have decided to use a full length one. So I'll pull out the tripod in the morning. On a more successful note, I actually took advantage of an opportunity and went for a walk while waiting for the little ones in dance class. The air was cold but it felt good to use the little moments! Maybe the word move is starting to fit.

Looking forward to what prompts February brings.

Pinkalicious

2011-01-17T10:29:00.000-08:00

Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing? Can one really explain this?"

~Pablo Picasso

I am amazed at this post dedicated to pink, the colour that is. Not so long ago, you would never see me and anything pink together. Never growing up did I have anything pink or anything very girly. Then a few years ago something changed. Maybe I grew up a bit, maybe it was having 3 little girls, maybe the shades of pink expanded, maybe I relaxed a bit, maybe I slowed down and was open to few new ideas, whatever the reason I'm not so opposed to the colour pink anymore. I think it is delicate and pretty and doesn't look to bad with darker skin either :)

So here is a post entirely of pink creations.

Birthday Card : SU Medallion Stamp, Best Creation Glitter pp,

Craft Lounge stamps, Tim Holtz Tissue Tape

Tweet Hearts (cute title eh?) : Craft Lounge Stamps, Making Memories Je T'adore,

All Wrapped Up For You : Making Memories Je T'adore

And here is another hawaii layout. This colour combo was based on the colours at Colour Combo Galore, and it totally fits into today's Pink Post.

Actually, all education is self-education. A teacher is only a guide, to point out the way, and no school, no matter how excellent, can give you education. What you receive is like the outlines in a child's coloring book. You must fill in the colors yourself. ~Louis L'Amour

We could learn a lot from crayons; some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, while others bright, some have weird names, but they all have learned to live together in the same box. ~Robert Fulghum

Hope everyone has a Pinkalicious day :)

Warm Up

2011-01-08T15:36:00.000-08:00

Its been rainy and cold here lately. So I decided to warm up by scrapping some beach pics :)

Supplies : Best Creation Surfs Up line, Tim Holtz tickets, Basic Grey chipboard, Tim Holtz Distress Stickles

Recolections flowers, ribbon and beads

Check out the Best Creation Blog to see some of the sneak peeks to the new lines being released at this month's CHA. Looking forward to some more glittery goodness!

Hope everyone is staying warm.

One Little Word

2011-01-03T22:11:00.000-08:00

Ali Edwards has promoted the idea to choose one word to be your focus for the year. In the past I have choosen the words BE and DO both of which worked great for their years. Last year I couldn't commit to a word. I actually had to look back in my blog posts to see what I had choosen, and the word I was mulling was FOCUS, but it just didn't fit in with my year and I forgot about it. So here we are again in January, and I am thinking about a new word.

MOVE : (from Dictionary.com)
–verb (used without object)

1. to pass from one place or position to another.

2. to go from one place of residence to another:

3. to advance or progress: The red racing car moved into the lead.

4. to have a regular motion, as an implement or a machine; turn; revolve.
5. to sell or be sold: That new model is moving well.
6. to start off or leave: It's time to be moving.
7. to transfer a piece in a game, as chess or checkers.

9. to be active in a particular sphere: to move in musical society.

10. to take action; proceed.

11. to make a formal request, application, or proposal: to move for a new trial.
–verb (used with object)

12. to change from one place or position to another.
13. to set or keep in motion.
14. to prompt, actuate, or impel to some action: What moved you to do this?
15. to arouse or excite the feelings or passions of; affect with emotion (usually fol. by to ): to move someone to anger.
16. to affect with tender or compassionate emotion; touch: The tale of tragedy moved her.
17. to transfer (a piece in a game) from one position to another.
18. to dispose of (goods) by sale.
20. to propose formally, as to a court or judge, or for consideration by a deliberative assembly.
21. to submit a formal request or proposal to (a court, a sovereign, etc.).

–noun

22. an act or instance of moving; movement.
23. a change of location or residence.
24. an action toward an objective or goal; step: a move toward a higher tax.
25. (in chess, checkers, etc.) a player's right or turn to make a play.
26. a play or maneuver, as in a game or sport.

That is a long definition, and I did delete a few I didn't like :). But I like how it can be active or passive, emotive or direct, bold or subtle : it kind of fits into many different aspects of life and personality.
So MOVE it is!

Over at Big Picture Scrapbooking, Ali Edwards is hosting a year-long class helping to maintain focus on your word and to help explore the concept together. I've just logged into the site and am behind already, some of those ladies are quick :) In any case I'm looking forward to this little project.

Anyway, moving on ;) what is a post without pictues -- here are a few layouts from our trip to Hawaii. I had a box of new scrapping goodies waiting for me when we got home, so I printed off some pics and played. It was very calming admidst the hustle and bustle of Christmas time.

All the pages use Webster's Pages paper and embellishments. The last one,

the flower is a prima flower which I took off the back colour since it didn't match

and then coiled the Websters' Pages trim around it.

Love this graphic! Its from Visual Thesaurus, just another way to view your little word!

Top 10 of 2010

2010-12-31T22:32:00.000-08:00

Well this was harder than I thought, but here are my 10 favourite pictures from 2010.

I like this one for a number of reasons. 1) Its a family picture! We have so few of them, so I love this one. 2) Its beside an Inukshuk, up at Whistler at the site of the Olympic Ski Jumping. It was a great afternoon and we also some bears. Very cool.

Some pics from Hawaii. Love the pic of the girls playing, I think I might fix it up a bit and print it to put up in our house somewhere.

February 2010 was all about the Vancouver Olympics! I loved how the spirit of the Olympics spread throughout the city and country!

Disneyland! The teacups are my favourite ride :) I could spin around and around all day long. I chose this picture of the big California letter outside Disneyland California Adventure because I've heard that they are removing them in 2011.

Some everyday pictures of the girls from the fall.

And I thought I'd end off 2010 with a sunset picture.

(yes I know its #11, but why not:)

Wishing everyone all the best in the New Year!

Twas the night before Christmas

2010-12-24T23:55:00.000-08:00

as I patiently wait for

The children to be nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums dance in their heads

In the mean time, here are few from our very unsuccessful attempt at getting a Christmas card photo :)

Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas and all the best in the holiday season.

Seasons

2010-12-22T16:40:00.000-08:00

I've decided that I like seasons. I like living in a place where we have distinct seasons, they all may be a bit rainy but at least they are different. I like the change, I enjoy the season we are in (what ever it is) since I know a change will come soon.

We just spent some time in beautiful Hawaii.(more pics to come soon :)) We enjoyed the sunshine, warmth and the beach. But I found it a bit odd listening to Christmas Carols while sitting by the pool. Singing about a "White Christmas" while applying sunscreen. Seeing Christmas trees all decorated next to palm trees threw me off. I guess its normal if you live somewhere warm and tropical all year round, but for me it was all a bit odd. It was a great holiday, but it made me realize that I'm content to enjoy our Canadian climate and all our seasons. Rain and all :)

Easy Stamped Christmas Card

2010-12-08T18:25:00.000-08:00

I love how versatile this stamp is, it can work in so many different occassions and on so many different types of layouts. Here I used it on some simple Christmas cards.

supplies : bazzil cardstock, best creation pp, martha stewart punch

jenni bowlin stamp, recollections stamp

tfl

Add a little 3D

2010-12-06T22:14:00.000-08:00

This is quick and easy way to add some dimension to a layout or card.

Punch out or cut out the same shape 4 times.

Then fold three of them in half. Glue the right side of one to the left side of the next one, then glue the right side of that one to the left side of the third one.

Glue the ouside pieces onto the flat shape and your done!

The balloon punch I had wasn't big enough for what I wanted,

so I punched out one shape, and then used that a base and

traced around it leaving a space. So then I had the shape but bigger :)

Anyway, here are two layouts using those shapes.

This layout was done using a colour palette from

Color Combo Galore.

Here I used a SU! Ornament Punch.

Supplies : Best Creation, Basic Grey, Jenni Bowlin, Tim Holtz

And a peek into Santa's Workshop at Stanley Park's Bright Night. It was a great evening hosted by the Fireman Director Erik.
More pics to come later :)

tfl

Mudpit to Playground With Your Help!

2010-12-01T23:04:00.000-08:00

This elementary school does not have a primary playground. The old playground had to be removed because of wood rot and they don't have the money to buy a new one. So the playground is now just a mud pit!

Aviva has a community fund that they donate money to community organizations to help with such projects. The way to win the money is to win a voting contest that is going on right now.

If you have just a few minutes to vote and help it would be so appreciated.

You would need to register once, and then you can vote once a day for a week. It doesn't cost you anything and any and every vote will make a difference for the project.

Click here to go to the site, it is project # 5443 Thunderbird Mudpit.

Thank-you!

Best Creation Blog Hop | Christmas Carol Mini Book

2010-11-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

It's our first blog hop at Best Creation today and all of us are excited to show you lots of fabulous projects for the upcoming Holiday and we are giving 1 lucky person a chance to win $100 worth of Best Creations products and a second person a chance to win our Valentine Collection of papers and stickers! How wonderful is that!!

We have 13 stops so leave a comment on each blog as you hop along to collect the letters of our secret word and then leave a comment on our final BC blog. Send your entry with the word to teresa@bestcreation.us. The Winners will be announced on Friday Dec 3rd so good luck and have fun hopping!

If you just happened to find my blog, you may want to start at the beginning of the blog hop and check out Tracey's blog to see her wonderful creations and collect the first secret letter.

This the second stop on the blog hop and the secret letter is O

Christmas Carol Mini Book

supplies : Best Creation

Thanks for stopping by! The next stop on the blog hop is Katrina's Blog, hope you enjoy her creations!

Bliss

2010-11-21T22:57:00.000-08:00

Cranberry Bliss Bars from Starbucks are seriously becoming an addiction.
I'm posting this recipe just so I know where it is and hopefully I will be making some this week sometime.

Image Source

Starbuck's Cranberry Bliss Bar Recipe
Top Secret Recipes version of Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar by Todd Wilbur

The tangy cranberries and sweet lemon frosting make this cake bar a holiday favorite that evokes piles of cloning requests when Starbucks stops selling it after Christmas. Now, with this easy-to-make clone, this treat can be a perennial hit. Break out this red and white treat for the gang on this holiday and you might be as popular as the guy in the red and white suit.

Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup diced dried cranberries
6 ounces white chocolate, cut into chunks

Frosting
4-ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup diced dried cranberries

Drizzled Icing

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons vegetable shortening

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Make cake by beating butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, ginger, and salt and beat well. Gradually mix in flour until smooth. Mix 3/4 cup diced dried cranberries and white chocolate into the batter by hand. Pour batter into a well-greased 9x13" baking pan. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly across the pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until cake is light brown on the edges. Allow cake to cool.

3. Make frosting by combining softened cream cheese, 3 cups powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. When the cake has cooled, use a spatula to spread frosting over the top of the cake.

4. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of diced cranberries over the frosting on the cake.

5. Whisk together 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and shortening. Drizzle icing over the cranberries in a sweeping motion or use a pastry bag with a fine tip to drizzle frosting across the top of the cake.

6. Allow cake to sit for several hours, then slice the cake lengthwise (the long way) through the middle. Slice the cake across the width three times making a total of eight rectangular slices. Slice each of those rectangles diagonally creating 16 triangular slices.

From: http://www.topsecretrecipes.com
Makes 16 bars.

Rainy, Windy and Stormy

2010-11-16T22:06:00.000-08:00

and cold! It is beginning to feel a bit like winter is coming. Last night there was a wind and rain storm, and the same is predicted for tonight. To top it all off, there is a forecast for snow on the weekend. With the last few leaves about to fall off our tree, fall seems to be making way for winter.

Here are a few winter layouts. The pics are both from 2 years ago, as last year we didn't get any snow :)

supplies : Best Creation pp

Check out the Best Creation Blog to see a some more great wintery creations!

Advice is like snow - the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper in sinks into the mind.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Bright Colours Chase Away the Grey

2010-11-12T07:50:00.000-08:00

I love a great colour challenge! It inspires me to go through my stash and find papers and embellishments that work. Instead of reaching for my newest papers or my favourite companies, I find that I end up using a mix of papers and in the end it feels great to use the supplies I have at hand.

This week over at the Inspired Scrapper we have this great photo as inspiration. I love how bold the colours are and seriously how beautiful is that arrangement. The photo seems to be the perfect cure for a rainy grey day.

Here is my take on the colour challenge. I stuck with the main colours in the inspiration photo, dark brown, fushia, red and green. Since the colours are so bold, I kept the embellishments to a minimum and just added some inking and a few buttons.

suppplies : bazzil, rouge de garance, chatterbox, prima, basic grey

Here is a quick thank-you card. I needed a card on behalf of the preschool
so I thought a pierced old fashioned school house fit the bill :)
One of the other papers in the collection had a little picture of an school house. I used that
to cut out a larger version, and then added some glitter and a thank-you heart.

supplies : Best Creation Back2School Line

TFL

Stackable Christmas Tree Placecards

2010-11-08T12:24:00.000-08:00

This was a fun and easy Christmas project.

Each placecard needs 4 semi circles. The ones I made measured in diameter; 8cm, 12cm,16cm and 20cm.

I traced a bunch of the semi circles onto different patterned paper and cut them out.

To make the cone shape just adhere the straight edges together.

To make a fancier one, cut a scallop pattern along the rounded edge.

Then its time to mix and match! Stack up one of each size cone.

I handcut out a star out of some Best Creation Glitter Paper to add to the top.

The names were added with a Sharpie.

supplies : Best Creation Patterened Paper

The kids have been having fun rearranging them and making their own. They liked making the trees lean this way or that way, they said it gave the trees some personality!

I'm sure it will add to the festive spirit during Christmas dinner :)

What is a post about Christmas without some Christmas music--

this is my favourite carol

"Carol of the Bells"

I love all the different versions of it. I chose a violin version and a piano version,

I'm hoping I can get the kids to learn so they can play for me.

(although it may just be easier to play the videos when I feel like it lol)

Edit : Check a bunch more placecard ideas here

An Hour Well Spent

2010-11-07T22:14:00.000-08:00

I look forward to the DayLight Saving Time Switch every year. Its an extra hour of sleep in time for me. I love it! Except this year. I/We forgot all about it. I woke up the same time, got ready, got the kids ready to go for their music lessons and off we went. We even had time to stop at Starbucks along the way and when we arrived at her house she very nicely informed us that we were an hour early. Oops!

So we had an extra hour today. We decided to make the most of our mistake and enjoy it! We had a breakfast date at Tim Hortons, then some play time at a park I had been meaning to check out all summer. It was a gorgeous morning and we had a great time enjoying our 'extra' hour! As lovely as it was, next year I want to sleep in :)

Hope you enjoyed your extra hour, however it was spent.

Christmas Tags

2010-11-02T19:53:00.000-07:00

Halloween is over and now its time to look ahead to Christmas. Starbucks already has, they have their Christmas menu board up (with Gingerbread and Eggnog) and are serving Cranberry Bliss Bars...yummm.

I like to slowly ease into the season, so here are two christmas present tags to start. Love the owl all dressed up for winter! I wanted to do a whole animal family all dressed up, I still might as Best Creation has some very cute animals in the Sweetie Pie line. We'll see.

Supplies : Best Creation pp, Martha Stewart Snowflake Punch,

Hero Arts Stamp, Jingle bells from Michaels

ribbon,gems,charms,stickers

I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself
To hold on to these moments as they pass
Counting Crows

Scrapping Music

2010-11-01T22:35:00.000-07:00

Well its not a post about music I listen to while scrapping, but on that topic I do have a new Ipod which I haven't even taken out of the box yet...kind of not sure what to do and how to do it. Although I did learn that Amazon.com does not allow Canadians to download music from their site (so much for a free download coupon I had).

It is a post about the six week challenge at Dixie Pieces. I loved the Glee theme. Each week a type of music and song titles were posted and we were challenged to create a layout true to that genre and use the titles as well. I've posted a few before, but I wanted to see them all together. I thought it was cool to see the change of style side by side. In any case I'm happy it got some of my creative energy flowing again and I have some more stories told.

Back to the non-topic, I think the first song I will download is Flo Rida The Club Can't Handle Me, that song can make anyone feel energized :)