It's MY birthday and I am having a PARTY!

Ok. TOMORROW is my birthday, technically, but I wanted to get this party started!!! A week long celebration!!! :D




This means that for ONLY $3.64 you get EIGHT papers, TWENTY elements, a FREE gift AND a chance to win more FREE products from my store!!
So check out the new kit here!

All prizes and gifts will be given away at the end of the week! Layouts MUST be in the DSAG gallery by [B]MIDNIGHT EST on FEB. 4th [/B]to be eligible!!!

Here are some layouts by my fantastic CT!
Maggie aka sandersmr

Fran aka Frani54


I will post a preview for the gift tomorrow! :D Thanks!

So Cold!

The last few days have been SO COLD up here in Canada. In my local area the temps have stayed around -14c to -16C, with a -25C wind chill. So what have I been doing since I am not able to leave my house for the most part? I have been DESIGNING! WAHOO! Two new products in the store today. A new COMBO PACK which I just adore and another new alpha!


Included with the element pack is a Ready Made Page tm that I have used to create this layout! I also used my new alpha Glitterganza!!

This layout was a challenge I issued to the ladies at my chat last night. The challenge was to create a layout about a pet name that you have for a loved one or one that they have for you. Also they were to use 2 papers, 1 frame, at least one swirl, and at least one alpha!
Yes, I call Sean a Loser but I say it with love. When we are snuggling I will call him a loser and he will call me a loser lover. Arent we sweet? lol

Ciao Bella

When I received my Bella Scraps Magazine this week I also received a bonus kit from featured designer Christine Haskell. It is such a beautiful kit, she is so talented. I wanted to play with it right away! So I did! :) I had just finished creating a new collection of templates for my Stacked Sketches so I thought that they would go perfectly together!
My templates! Available now at NDISB!

Christine's new kit!

And the layout I created using both these products and my new Swirlicious Alpha, Bella! My best friend Jennifer.


Also new in my store today is my newest Photoshop Action, Acidic Addictions. This action was created in PSCS2 and tested in PSCS3! I do not know if it will work properly in other programs and accept no responsibility if they do not. Find them in my store here.


I have gotten a lot accomplished this week and am very happy about that. However, it is taking its toll on me. I am sick. Again. I am blaming it on the school board for making me walk Connor back and forth to school in this freezing weather. I wish they would just let him on the bus. I am going to spend most of the weekend in bed...hopefully. :)

Inspirational Day!

Did you ever have one of those days where everything just worked? I had one of those yesterday! :) I went NUTS! I spent most of the day at the computer, designing and scrapping. I was so happy that things were just flowing so well!! I got TWO new products in my store at NDISB.com!! WAHOO!! And here they are!
Swirlicious Alpha

Edge It With Glitter


I also managed to get some scrapping done!! Here is a layout that I created using both my new Swirlicious Alpha and Edge It With Glitter overlay!

Other credits for layout include, Martha, Bring On The Dirt, Just Believe my me, Amy Eileen Head, Butterfly is by Birgit Kerr and stitching by Gina Miller.

Now hopefully today I can get some house work done. lol OH and this morning when I opened my email my very first issue (well the very first issue) of Bella Scraps Magazine was there! What a great magazine!! I spent about 20 minutes going through it so far and its just wonderful!!

Create Your Own Corner Bookmarks!

At last night's Guild chat we discussed creating unique and personalized bookmarks! Create them using your favorite layouts! I made three and it only took me about an hour from start to finish! To help with wear and tear, I would suggest having them laminated as well! Have fun with it!!


Yesterday Connor had a doctor's appointment and things went well. We learned that he does indeed have allergy induced asthma. Yuck. I talked to our family doctor today about having the tests done but it really doesn't seem like it would help much so we are going to fore go that. Right now our job will be to discover what seems to affect him the most. May be its the dust around my house? Due to lack of house cleaning because I cant stop scrapping? ;)

He had to get some more blood work done today and I was DREADING IT! The last time we went it was a little chaotic, to say the least. When he found out what was going to happen, he stood in the corner and screamed, "I AM GOING TO DIE!" over and over again. They took us in right away and he screamed and cried till he was blue. TODAY however, he went in, smiled, laughed, watched the needle go in, the blood come out and not a single tear! He didn't even wince! I could not stop telling him how proud I was of him. My baby is growing up so quickly! He even said he wanted to go to school!! He proudly showed his teacher and classmates his 'needle hole.' Love that kid.

Then it was Mommy's turn to see the doctor. I am healthy! Yay. All my reports came back clean as a whistle. My doctor gave me some advice for my headaches and my carpal tunnel syndrome. He also suggested I buy a Mac. I dont think that has anything to do with my body though. lol I really enjoy my new doctor. I laugh, I share, its great. It is so much better to have a doctor who actually listens to you speak AND talks like a normal person!! :)

The Cat's Meow!

Sean's Aunt Judy came home from away for two months to spend time with her mother. It was so great having her home with Nan. Nan really enjoyed the company. One thing that I really noticed during the visit was that Sandy, the cat, was becoming more and more and more like a child! They seem to adore his every move, every purr, every yawn.... They feel for the cat like most people do their own children. I do realize that pets can become part of the family. I have always treated our parts as though they were part of the family. However, the sweet Maidments treat the cat as though he were royalty! It is so funny to watch them. The cat walks proud with his tail and head in the air while they chase after him oohing and ahhing! Since Aunt Judy left at the end of the week, Nan has been especially lonely and has asked me to stay over. I spent the weekend at their house and had a lovely time. Today I brought my camera over to take some photos of Sandy. I thought it would be something Nan would really enjoy having. A framed photo of her Sweet Sandy. Here is a spread I created using the some of the photos I took. BTW, the cat is just like a person when trying to take his picture. He walks away, sticks out his tongue, closes his eyes, etc.


This layout was created using Creme de la Creme, the January Guild kit and Christine Haskell's Sweeping Plume Overlay. It was inspired by articles found in the January Issue of the Artisan Notebook tm. For more inspiration check out the gallery at the Guild!

Seven Wonders of my Life

My dear friend Maggie has challenged us with a fabulous new blog prompt, the Seven Wonders of our Lives. She has also suggested that we create layouts using this prompt and I am hoping I can find the time this week to do just that! Until then...

1. Connor, he is without a doubt the greatest wonder in my life. From the moment he started moving in my belly he has had me wrapped around that little finger of his. I cannot believe that something so beautiful could come from me and Shane. He amazes me every day with his love, his learning, his compassion, his needs, I love them all. He is my bestest boy and I couldnt have asked for more. What a joy.

2. Sean, true love. I know that I am only young but I have gone through some trying times when it comes to love. The last four years have been wonderful with Sean. He has so many annoying habits that just drive me insane. lol However, I am not sure what I did before him and his little quirks. He has literally helped me be a better person. We keep each other grounded, we keep each other entertained, we just keep each other. I love that man.

3. My family, as crazy as they are, I could not make it without them. My parents are quite the pair. I am JUST like my father, too a T, it drives my mother nuts! I kid you not. I love both my parents so much. I do get along better with my Dad though. We can spend hours together and its so enjoyable. My brothers! ACK! I dont know how I made it through my childhood with 3 older brothers but I did. Whew! They each have such interesting personalities and lives. They each bring something of meaning to my life and its such a blessing to have them. Shout out to Earl, Joey, and Mark.

4. My friends! Throughout life, friends come and go. I know this, I understand and accept this. I have friends that were around from grade primary, I have friends I just met this year, I love them all. There are friendships that have ended that I wish hadnt but I am still happy knowing the good times we shared in the past. I am thankful for my online friends who keep me entertained thoroughly! The amazing technology we have available is wonderful! I am able to keep in touch with my friends all over the country, all over the world. :)

5. My town. I grew up in the same town in which I still reside. Most people look at our town as a place to get out of or retire too but I see my life here. I know that Sean and I will marry here, raise our kids here and grow old together here. It isnt much, there isnt much to do but its what I know, its what I love. I love being able to walk down the street at 1am and not have to worry. I like being able to send Connor outside in the yard with his cousin without fear of something happening to them. Its by far the best place for us to be. No place is perfect, but this town comes to it for me.

6. Creativity! Wow, what a release my creativity has been for me. I cannot even begin to imagine what my life would be like if it were not for the inspiration I see everyday. My world is not the same as everyone around me. I see things differently then my family and friends. I see it through the eyes of an artist. It took me a long time to say that about myself, but I am, I am an artist. I do not create masterpieces with paint, or charcoal but I do create art. Whether it be with my photography, my digiscrapping, or what have you, I am thankful for a creative outlet. Thank goodness for the left side of the brain!

7. Canada! I am proud to be a Canadian. Everyday I am thankful that I was born in a country that is free and caring of its people. We have so much to be thankful for here. Free health care, I never have to worry about Connor not receiving care. Freedom of speech, I will not be slain in the street for speaking out. Food, I do not have to hunt for my food, I always have enough to eat. Wealth, I am not even close to being well off but we have enough to provide shelter, food, all our basic needs and then still have money for play. The list could go on for days....

So those are seven of the wonders in my list....whats on yours?

Tutorial Touchdown!

That is what the January Issue of the Artisan Notebook available by the Guild through NDISB.COM is!! It is packed with fantastic tutorials on bringing patterns to your layout! This week we challenge you to go through the Notebook and find some inspiration! Following one of the many tutorials available, create a layout, post it in the Designer/CT Challenge Gallery at www.dsaguild.com!! Also, copy your image into the Artisan Notebook Gallery there!! That way we wont miss it and it will get lots of love!! I cannot wait to see what you come up with!

Let's show Rachel and Miss Stacey how much we love and appreciate the hard work they put into the Notebook for us!!

Here is my layout using the tutorial on creating patterns with photos, found on page 62!



This is my layout!! I used Angie Miner's kit Shine and Christine Haskell's amazing Sweeping Plumes overlay pack!!

The Notebook is always PACKED solid with wonderful inspiration and tutorials. If you dont have it now, what are you waiting for???? :)

I JUST added a new product to the store so I thought I would share it here! Check out these Fabulous Floral Layouts now at Natural Designs In Scrapbooking!


And my example layout using my kit Just Believe and another photo from my shoot with Jennifer on the weekend.

Foto Fantastic!

I promised myself that this weekend would be all about photography and it has been! So far... Yesterday Connor and I joined Sean in Sydney. We were not able to leave the building for long though because it was SO cold. We spent about 10 minutes outside before Connor asked to go back in. He was a very willing model and did such an animated show for us.



I was so excited about getting some new photos that I had to scrap right away!! Here is my layout, texture overlay by me, everything else by the amazing Lie Fhung.


Then today, my best friend Jennifer, agreed to bare the freezing cold temps to come out with me! We had so much fun trudging through the snow trying to remain upright. We looked like fools but I think we got some great shots! Here are some of my faves from this morning.





For more photos, check out my Flickr account! Now I am off to recharge my battery and a new victim for tomorrow. Ummm, I mean model. ;)

Urban Girl

haven't been taking a lot of photos lately. I find that I had not really had any time. This weekend I am spending as much as I can getting back into a routine. My camera is begging for attention!! On Christmas Day I took everyone out on the step to take some photos in natural light. They were not happy when I made them take their jackets off in freezing temps. I joined them as well! So we were all frozen together. :) Sean was trying to take a photo of my bestest friend Jennifer but he wasn't making much progress. I jumped in and took this one!

She isn't going to be happy with me posting this either. She loves me though and will forgive me. I think she looks great!! She has attitude!

Two months????

Has it really been two months since I blogged here? Wow! Well, in celebration of starting writing again I have given the blog a new look. This one will be here to stay for awhile. It was created with my new kit, Just Believe, now available at my new store at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking! That's right! Since I have been here last, the Guild has teamed up with NDISB. It has been a wonderful journey and I am loving our new friends. Over the next little while I will be busy, busy, busy and am going to do my best to blog at least every other day! I am hoping to incorporate some challenges, some prizes, some freebies here, in the future! The beginning of a new year, a fresh start and I am welcoming it with open arms!

Check out Just Believe!!



All credits for this layout can be found at in my gallery at DSAG! :)

I hope this year brings you nothing but peace, happiness and love!