Scrap Daily

Jenny Lee’s Trinkets

2010-05-13T16:29:00.001-03:00

My best friend just opened up her very own Etsy shop! Everyone, say HI JEN! ;)

It seems she blames me for her new obsession and I think that is GREAT! ;) Love you Jen! Please take a moment to stop by her shop and check out her gorgeous designs. You might even recognize one of the models! ;) ;) Here are a few of her things! All images are clickable to her store!

Gorgeous! Make sure to share with your friends too! There can never be too much loveliness in this world. :D Thanks for stopping by!

And of course we need some digi-scrappin’ too!! :D

Layout by me and is created with all Vinnie Pearce products.

Pocketful of Sunshine!

2010-05-12T10:50:00.001-03:00

Guild Membership includes the monthly Guild kit and the monthly issue of the Artisan Notebook. Here is a sneak peek at the May Guild benefits:

This very special kit takes its theme from an early, sunny spring day with a dash of sophistication. The contemporary color scheme of gray and yellow is combined with delightful garden-themed elements to create a one of a kind kit that is perfect for featuring your most special spring, outdoor, Mother's Day and even wedding-themed layouts. It includes 13 backgrounds, more than 55 elements (most come in both shadowed & un-shadowed versions) an upper and lower case alpha and a set of Ready-made (tm) layouts.

A favorite digital scrapping technique is the use of extracted photos and this month we celebration EXCITING EXTRACTIONS. From fantasy layouts to out of bounds to combination layouts, we have incredible layouts to inspire you.

This month meet the talented Sylvie of Sausan Designs and learn from the master of extractions, Miss Behaving, in her multi-page tutorial. Enjoy a tutorial on duotones by co-editor Amy Head and an amazing tutorial using the pen tool by Julie Mead. We have two tutorials from our editor, Stacey Jewell Stahl – one that includes a free gift and another that gives step-by-step instructions on creating a digital pop-up book complete with tips on perspective shadowing.

Our challenges this month include: Just Write (journaling), Making Headlines (title), Pigment of your Imagination (color), Scraplift Tag (paper to digi) and Recipe for Design (photo/layout challenge). Our creative teams rocked their extractions in all of these while focusing on the theme of the challenge.

Sarah Barber is back with another article on Artist Trading Cards and Mary Jamieson provides another Memory Jog for your album. Our hybrid project is wonderful, and so are all of the exciting layouts in our Inspiration Station article. This month is the final Stretch A Sketch article by the talented ChrissyW. We wrap up our coverage of the Amazing Digi Scrap Race – Season 5.

Our photography section includes Project 365 photos, a fun photo chain, a fun twist in Nancy Morin’s Photo Clinic and portrait tips in our Portraits Plus article.

GOODIES: Sarah Barber provides a coupon for a May purchase, Stacey Jewell Stahl provides a background paper for her tutorial and Dee Bee Designs gives our readers a mini kit.

Here is a closer look at the kit:

Purchase information can be found [B][URL="http://www.digitalscrapbookartisanguild.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2"]HERE.[/URL][/B]

Come Chat with us!

2010-05-07T08:40:00.001-03:00

Made by me with Sausan Designs kit, Cloud 7!

A little layout….

2010-04-19T22:33:00.001-03:00

This month’s Guild kit, Water Color Wonder, and FREE Gift from the Artisan Notebook, Pop Art Palooza. Check out how I created this photo in the May issue of the Artisan Notebook, on e-stands May 1st!

PUBLICATION CALLS!

2010-03-14T21:25:00.001-03:00

MAY!

The May theme at the Artisan Notebook is all about “Exciting Extractions”! Simply extractions, cut outs, out of bounds, they are all welcome! If you have any layouts that showcase extractions, please them to amyeileenhead@msn.com! Layouts should be 8x8 inches, 150dpi, and under 1.5mb!

SUBJECT LINE SHOULD READ MAY ISSUE!!!

Please include information in the the following format, ALL information must be included to be considered.

Layout name
Your name and Username
About the photo:
Technique
Journaling
Credits

Deadline for Submissions is March 26!

by codys

JUNE!

The theme during the month of JUNE at the Artisan Notebook will be INSPIRED BY.... what or who inspires you! It could be a person, a color, a layout, wallpaper, nature, magazine ads or movie covers! Send us your layouts and tell us what inspired YOU and why! If you have any layouts, please them to amyeileenhead@msn.com! Layouts should be 8x8 inches, 150dpi, and under 1.5mb!

SUBJECT LINE SHOULD READ JUNE ISSUE!!!

Please include information in the the following format, ALL information must be included to be considered.

Layout Name, Your name and Username, About the photo, Technique, Journaling, Credits.

Deadline for Submissions is April 5th!

by wvsandy

JULY!

July 2010: Tantalizing Titles, Jaw-Dropping Journaling.
Sub-theme: Art Journaling
DEADLINE for submissions: May 14.
EMAIL SUBJECT LINE SHOULD READ JULY ISSUE!!!

If you have any pages you would like me to consider, please email them to me at amyeileenhead@msn.com. They should be at 8x8inches and 150dpi. Please send along the following information as well! ALL FORUM SECTIONS SHOULD BE FILLED!!!!

Layout name
Your name and Username
About the photo:
Technique
Journaling
Credits

Thanks!

by frani_54

ONGOING CALLS!

Do you have any layouts that feature a HOT TREND or a HAPPY ENDING? If so, please send them along in the same fashion! Subject line should read HOT TREND or HAPPY ENDING! Thanks!

Layout name
Your name and Username
About the photo:
Technique
Journaling
Credits

Thanks!

by tinamarie

ARTISAN NOTEBOOK PUBLICATION CALL!

2010-03-09T22:44:00.001-04:00

The May theme at the Artisan Notebook is all about “Exciting Extractions”! Simply extractions, cut outs, out of bounds, they are all welcome! If you have any layouts that showcase extractions, please them to amyeileenhead@msn.com! Layouts should be 8x8 inches, 150dpi, and under 1.5mb!
SUBJECT LINE SHOULD READ MAY ISSUE!!!
Please include information in the the following format, ALL information must be included to be considered.
Layout Name, Your name and Username, About the photo, Technique, Journaling, Credits.
Deadline for Submissions is March 26!

PUBLICATION CALL FOR APRIL!

2010-03-02T12:37:00.001-04:00

During the month of April we are focusing on POP ART! So grab you bright colors and get busy!

stock photo

In the April issue we will be featuring layouts with a POP ART theme. This can be interpreted any way you wish! If you have any layouts you would like me to consider please send them along!

Send 8"x8" or 8"x10" layouts, 150 dpi, under 1 mb to amyeileenhead attt msn dotttt com by March 8th.

The subject line should read APRIL ISSUE. PLEASE fill in ALL sections of the submission forum! Thank you! :)

In the body of the e-mail, please include:
Layout Name
Your name aka user name
Link to your favorite gallery
About the photo(s):
Techniques:
Journaling:
Credits and fonts:

Thanks for stopping by!

Some recent layouts!

2010-02-11T13:27:00.001-04:00

It has been awhile but I am going to do my best to get back into blogging! Here are a few of my recent pages! All credits can be found with the original uploads on Facebook!

Thanks for looking!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T23:01:00.001-04:00

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday season with family and friends! :)

A little Christmas Cheer!

2009-12-17T18:24:00.001-04:00

It seems that this week we have little time to breath while preparing for Christmas, entertaining family from away and trying to get some work done. When I had to bake cupcakes today, I had no time to do anything fancy so I had to think of a way to make my cupcakes stand out. Cannot have plain cupcakes people!!! So I thought back to Thanksgiving when Elsie created these adorable cupcake picks and thought, I CAN DO THAT! I printed some tags from this months Guild kit, Season of Delight, taped some toothpicks to the back of them and stuck them in the cupcakes! Now when we are at the party taking pictures, people can add their Christmas wishes before they chow down. :) Thanks Elsie for the inspiration!

On Tuesday evening I baked this little gem for Connor’s Christmas party at school! He told me that the class really liked Fred, which is what Connor named him. He was a chocolate cake with butter cream for snow and everything is made from marshmallow fondant!

I made some snowball garland today, which took a whole ten minutes and four dollars!!! :)

And I even took a few minutes to scrap while I was waiting for everything to bake… Seasons of Delight, this months Guild kit.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season! Thanks for stopping by! :)

A New Tree Skirt

2009-12-15T09:06:00.001-04:00

When I was pulling out my Christmas decorations this year, I noticed that the red of my tree skirt had bled into the white. It must have gotten wet somehow? So I thought it would be a good idea to toss that one and make a new one. I gleaned what supplies I could from around the house and came up with this! Otis is a pattern for a plushie and can be found here.

I simply cut up pieces of materials I had around the house to put him together. A pocket from an old sweater, some burlap scraps, felt scraps, buttons, ribbon, trim, and the berries and garland I snipped from some other decorations.

He makes me happy! :)

PUBLICATION CALL for the Artisan Notebook!

2009-12-14T20:53:00.001-04:00

February's theme is all about Toys & Games! Send us your game pages! Anything goes! Traditional board games, your child's favourite teddy bear, or even your WOW obsession, it all goes! Send them along to me!
Send 8"x8" or 8"x10" layouts, 150 dpi, under 1 mb to amyeileenhead attt msn dotttt com by November 13.
The subject line should read FEBRUARY ISSUE.
In the body of the e-mail, please include:
Layout Name
Your name aka user name
Link to your favorite gallery
About the photo(s):
Techniques: (Including what program you use)
Journaling:
Credits and fonts:

Happy Holidays

2009-12-07T23:33:00.001-04:00

Because it made me smile

2009-12-04T11:02:00.001-04:00

And I know it will make you smile as well! :)

How to make a Dollar Store Journal

2009-11-23T18:20:00.001-04:00

In order to improve my son’s creative writing, we decided that we are going to write in a journal each night. This can be anything! A simple story. A few lines about his day. A cartoon drawing with some simple conversation. Anything to get him writing more. I thought it would be a good idea to create my own journal and write along with him. So I created this one for him. I simply bought a composition notebook at the dollar store, traced the front, cut out the paper, glued it on, glued on some ribbon and a mailing tag.

The other day I was at the dollar store and found this red, faux leather place mat. I had no idea what I was going to do with it but I knew I wanted it. :) I ended up using it as a cover for a journal, check it out! :)

What you will need:

composition notebook

place mat

strong glue (or waxed thread, I used glue because I was lazy)

Velcro

Rip the cover off of your notebook and throw it in the recycle bin. Place your notebook on the backside of the place mat. Measure the place mat to where you want your cover to end, draw your line, cut off the excess. I just kept mine just under half an inch on each end.

With your notebook on the place mat, line up where the spine of it should be on the middle of the mat. Using a ruler, draw a line vertically down the mat, this is going to be your guide for your glue. (If you want to sew it instead, use waxed thread, open the journal to the middle and stitch through the original binding holes, depending on how thick the material you are using is, you might want to pre poke the holes with an awl first.)

Run a strip of glue down the line, place the notebook back in place, close the cover tightly, place something heavy on the book to help set the glue.

Next I took the scraps and made a closure for my journal.

I cut a one inch piece of Velcro and glued it to the cover (or stitch it if you are sewing it), and the opposite end to the inside of the strap end. If you have a sewing machine, it would probably be a good idea to sew it on if you will be opening and closing it a lot. Better for wear. ;) I lined up the strap and glued it to the back of the journal. I just made a little mark with a pencil on the inside so I knew how to line it up. Wait 24 hours or so for the glue to dry completely before using.

Voila! All done.

I already had the glue on hand and the Velcro, so the total project cost me $2. :) Hope you like it! If you make one yourself, link me up. I would love to see it!

How to make a Feather Headband!

2009-11-18T12:58:00.001-04:00

This morning I woke up wanting to make something pretty, so I did! :) I have never done this before and there very well be better ways to do it, but this is how I did it! Hope you enjoy it.

What you will need:

Feathers

Glue

Headband

Felt

Button

The first thing I did was cut a thin tear drop shape out of the felt. Not long, just a wee bit shorter than what you want the feathers to extend over your head really.

Then I picked out what feathers I wanted to use and played with them until I got an idea of what I liked. Then I started to glue them on. I started at the tip of my felt piece so that the ends of the feathers would be hidden as I went. Make sure you place the feathers down! You dont want the tips poking out. :)

I decided I wanted another brown feather on top after I took this but you get the idea.

This is my back….

Just be careful with the glue, you dont want to use too much or it will make a mess of the feathers. Clean up the back of the felt, just pulling gently on the glue and tiny feather bits. I than trimmed a little of the excess felt that was showing on the front. Then I just found a matching button and glued it on the button to hide the end of the feathers.

Next put your headband on and decide where you want the feathers. You can mark it with a piece of chalk if you like.

Simply run a line of glue up the center of the felt and attach it to the band. Wait for it to dry for a little while before wearing. After I did that, I added small dabs of glue here and there to make the feathers lay flatter against my head. Hope you like it! :)

Let’s just pretend

2009-11-17T08:27:00.001-04:00

that I havent been horribly at blogging. Again. :)

Some pages that I scrapped recently. :) I have gotten into a habit of just using one kit per page.

Land of Odds by Lynne Marie

About by Creashen

This One’s for the Birds, this month’s Guild kit.

In Good Company by Paisley Press & Leora Sanford

Boy’s Retreat by Catherine Designs

In Good Company by Paisley Press & Leora Sanford

Times Flies by the ladies at After 5 Designs

Have a good scrapping day!

Baaaaaaad Blogger

2009-09-14T12:38:00.001-03:00

So a few weeks ago I fell horribly ill and it seemed like it took forever for me to recover. While I was out sick, I kind of fell out of blogging mode… I also missed a lot of 365 photos… :( I will do my best to catch up with today’s post and be better from here on in….

Day 202

We went to St. Peter’s for my girlfriend’s bridal shower and Connor wanted to stop at the beach on the way home. I was not prepared for the beach as I was in dress pants and heels. lol We had fun anyway, I just relaxed here on the rocks and watched him swim.

Day 203

Sean had wonton soup, which I have nicknamed Brain Soup. Do the wontons not look like brains? lol

Day 204

Apparently the only photo I took this day was a bad picture of an ugly spider….

Day 205, 206, 207

Missed…. :(

Day 208

My brother and his girlfriend became engaged and I made this cake for them when they came home to celebrate.

Day 209

We went to a bike show and Sean ran into an old friend who has a business doing custom bike work. This is one of his helmets.

Day 210

The buskers were in town. This man stood on a bike, on a pole, and juggled a torch, knife, and apple. Here he is taking a bite of the apple. Very talented people the buskers are!

Day 211

We went swimming at Connor’s BFF’s pool. :) Ahhhh….

Day 212, 213, 214

Missed

Day 125

It has been a long time since I even started this post. I have completely lost track of my 365 photos. :( I have missed so many in the last few weeks that it seems that I can hardly call it a project any more. Alas…. I stop the project. I will not stop taking photos though! Nope! Not going to happen. Want to see some photos I have taken recently? Yes? Okay! :) My friend Jennifer got married…. The first set of photos are a trash the dress session we had after the wedding. I was MOH in the wedding so I didnt get to take many photos but I did try! So I will post some of them here too!

Ok…. I am off for a bit but I promise to be better about posting! And scrapping… SPEAKING OF SCRAPPING!

I have a TWO PAGE SPREAD in Canadian Scrapbooker magazine this month so CHECK IT OUT! :D

Can you believe I scrapped?

2009-07-26T00:14:00.001-03:00

Surprising, I know! I have been in such a funk lately and I am trying to force myself out of it. I made this page with the Guild kit this month, Watermelon Head, and a piece of cardstock by Redju. The font is Susie’s Hand. To create this page I….

Using my rectangle Marquee tool, I chose a rectangle shape around the edge of my photo, Copy, Paste on a New Layer, added a drop shadow on its own layer. For the details, I used the watermelon scalloped border which I changed to solid gray, duplicated, flipped horizontally, merged the two layers and changed the blend mode to Overlay. Duplicated this layer and added it to the other side of my photo as well. I thought it would be a cute pun using ‘wheelie’ because of the bike in the kit.

I have been at my parents’ house and they only have dial up. *grumbles* SO! I have had to head into the library and coffee shop to use their high speed every few days. Here are a few pictures of what I have been up to this week….

Day 194

Shalako, the neurotic fur child of the family. He was running in the wet grass, can ya tell? lol

Day 195

I have been doing a lot of embroidery while watching TV in the evenings because I am out on a highway with nothing around me. At least I am being forced to get creative! This is on a tea towel and the design is from Sublime Stitching.

Day 196

It was HOT! So we grabbed the hose in the backyard and had SO MUCH FUN playing! Even Shalako got involved for a little while before he started hiding on the step.

Day 197

Jen came over for a visit and we thought it would be fun to have a camp fire. We all got a lot of bites. Connor and I got about 20 plus each but poor Jen got about a million and six. The bugs love her! Here is Connor putting on some After Bite.

Day 198

Since mine is broken, I brought some things over to make using my mother’s machine. While I was sewing, I noticed this…. The dog is scared to death that I am going to leave him like his parents did. lol

In case you were wondering what I made…. some camera straps! The brown flower one is currently on my camera. :) I am not sure what to do with the other one…any ideas?

Yesterday I bought the book Hello, Cupcake!! I AM SO EXCITED! It was only $18 so I had to grab it. Around here it has been selling for $40 so when I saw the price, I grabbed it, hugged it to my chest and RAN for the check out. Sean laughed. I didnt think it was funny. lol

I was thinking about creating EVERY cupcake and posting the pictures on here as I go. May be I should start a blog for it! I am currently reading Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. Can ya tell? For those of you who dont understand that comment, in the book Julie cooks every recipe in Julia Child’s cookbook MtAoFC and writes a blog about it. :) The first ones I chose, because I had the stuff to do it, was the faux Petite Fours on page 139, but I put my own little twist on them.

Day 199

Day 200

We discovered a museum about our island that we didnt know about. Connor and I stopped by and had a nice time. I love this photo, it makes me laugh.

Day 201

We went to a wedding out of town today and had a fantastic time! Felt like a short vacay! :) Made a new friend…..

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Who would like a freebie?

2009-07-17T14:39:00.001-03:00

Would you? Well, you can have one….right after you listen to me ramble aimlessly for a few minutes. ;)

Day 187

I asked Sean to pick me up a banana when he went to the store. This is what he came back with…. Biggest banana ever! It was a foot long, Sean measured it. lol It took me two sittings but I ate it! ;)

Day 188

Missed it.

Day 189

Missed it.

Day 190

We went to see an advanced showing of Harry Potter! Sweet! We had a great time. I forgot to take pictures though because things were rather hectic trying to get in and find seats. So this is Facebook. ;)

Day 191

We had craft corner! YAY! I love it. We did some finger painting! Here is Connor making a butterfly for his stepmother.

Day 192

We spent most of the day at my parents’ house. Connor even earned some money but helping his grandmother wash the car.

My mother went to get the hose and all of a sudden she started screaming! LOL There was a snake hiding out beside the hose.

Connor now has a chore chart that he is too follow in order to earn his treats. He has been rather ungrateful lately and I figure if we dont start doing something about it now, he will only get worse. So I picked up this chore chart by Kate and Jacque.,

did it up to suit Connor, had it printed and laminated, then attached some magnets and VOILA!

Day 193

I havent been scrapping much but I did put this layout together last night of my niece Emma. It is made with this month’s Guild kit, Watermelon Head.

And now for your freebie… an old alpha of mine that I decided to take out of the store. Just for you, Scrap Metal Alpha!

Enjoy!

Just a few photos…

2009-07-10T18:12:00.001-03:00

Day 184

We spent about two hours on the tramp and BOY did we feel it the next day! Wow, what a work out! That night we headed into the city because I wanted to donate blood before I got my tattoo. I was rejected because my iron was too low but Sean successfully donated! :)

When I was getting my tattoo, Steve (tattoo guy), asked why and I responded that it was the scrapbooker in me. To which he started laughing and said, My grandmother scrapbooks. Yeah, well I straightened him out right away! LoL! Scrapbooking is COOL! :) So I thought I would get the word ‘inspire’ inked on my wrist…. I like it! :)

My friends Janice and Jen came with me and Janice snapped some photos.

Day 185

It was hard to take it with my left hand! lol

Day 186

It was gorgeous out today so we hit the beach! :) SCORE! I couldnt go swimming because my suit no longer fits and I just got the tattoo yesterday but still had a fantastic time!

Hope everyone is having nice weather and happy times!

Cake Bakin’

2009-07-07T16:55:00.001-03:00

I found this website called Threadless where they are having a cake contest! I thought it would be fun to enter, so I did! :) The idea is to bake a cake based on one of their T-shirt designs and upload it to their Thread Cakes gallery. I decided on a design called Summer Wind. It was not as easy as I initially thought it would be. Cutting out the face with fondant and a paring knife, not fun. Not fun at all. I would recommend a SHARP SMALL knife for this kind of work, if you are crazy enough to want to try it! ;)

Here is their design:

Here is my cake:

Day 183

I dont think I did too badly a job. :) Certainly not perfect but its only my 5th cake! lol Cant be too hard on myself. I want to try another one too. Some day. The contest is running until August so I have plenty of time. My friend Jennifer is even going to give it a go! :) YAY! It makes me happy. Jen can make some killer sweets so I am sure she will be able to make a fantastic cake! Her first try with fondant! :) Wish her luck too!

Some 365 photos:

Day 178

I find it hard to believe but I think I missed this day.

Day 179

We went to see Transformers 2 at the IMAX. It was a good movie but a wee bit too long. Held Connor’s full attention until the very end though, that was amazing!

Day 180

Day 181

Day 182

Last thing, a layout I made with this month’s Guild kit, Watermelon Head and Christina Renee’s Collage Bits, seen in this month’s Artisan Notebook.

Have a great day!

Connor’s video game quote of the day: “When I come near, bad guys turn to dust.”

UPDATE! I have been approved! :)

http://www.threadcakes.com/entries/view/144

Check me out! :)

Digi Scrapping!

2009-07-04T13:40:00.001-03:00

I am a day late but this is a digital scrapbooking post! YAY! This month I am truly inspired by Stacey’s article in the Notebook, Portraits Plus. She created a fantastic page that was inspired by a CD cover. I thought I would do the same! You can see my first layout here in the Notebook this month as well. It was inspired by The Cure’s CD Cover from their Greatest Hits album.

My layout!

I really wanted to create more! Its apparently addictive! :) So while we were out walking I snapped this photo of Connor, who was looking at Sean, so I could create a layout inspired by this Nickelback cover…. I wanted a blue hue though because it reminds me more of Connor, plus he was wearing a blue shirt.

No kits were used in making these pages. Check out this month’s Notebook! You will BE INSPIRED! :) I already have another layout in mind. I was thinking John Lennon……

JULY IS HERE!

2009-07-02T10:59:00.001-03:00

I have no idea what happened to June but apparently July is here! :) We had a fantastic time celebrating Canada day!! Can you believe we actually worn Connor out? So much so that he begged us to take him home. We watched the fireworks from my brother’s balcony but it was rather foggy so it wasnt too great. However! We did get to see fireworks from all of the major cities in the are at one time! :) That was kind of neat!

We spent the day at the waterfront. Uncle Earl and Connor went on a Rickshaw ride. (sp?)

Connor got a tattoo! LOL He loves it! He may never wash his arm again!

We ate at Perks which was cool. They have all of these photos of their regular customers hanging on the wall. I thought it was a great personal touch.

Connor bought himself a new friend.

Uncle Earl wasnt smiling pretty. LOL

This is what I get when he decides he doesnt want his picture taken. Laughing at it today, did not laugh at it when it was happening. ;) So Sean let me take one of him instead! :p

We waited in line for 45 minutes for ice cream. Believe it or not, it was the short line!!!! We relaxed and watched the boats in the harbour for awhile.

Day 177

Connor thought it would be fun to run through the public sprinkler…. So I let him… he got two runs.

We went to a park to play for a little while.

Then we went to dinner at a nice restaurant, Rock Bottom, where I had some lovely Gluten free pizza! It was SO nice to be able to eat pizza out!

Tomorrow I will have an actual scrap related post! Promise! :) Have a great day!

Away!

2009-07-01T00:12:00.001-03:00

Visiting my brother. Having fun! :) I am making a road trip PAPER album which I am excited to share when I get back!

Some 365 photos….

Day 170

Not sure… have to check the phone and Connor’s camera.

Day 171

Not sure…

Day 172

Not sure…

Day 173

Connor at his desk. He is heading into Grade 2! So proud of him! :) I love the light in this photo. I bounced the light off the white board and really like the effect! Plus the light coming from the window make a great highlight!

Day 174

We had a car show on the weekend and I generally go with my Dad. On the way in we ran into my brother, Mark ,and niece, Emma. Emma asked me to take a picture of Dad with her and the Pace car. The car is owned by my father’s boss and is raced for charity.

Day 175

On the road! It rained three out of the five hour drive. Not fun. It rained for the windy, bumpy roads and stopped for the straight, smooth roads. ;)

Day 176

Mirror shot…. My shot of the day because I liked the light. I cant wait to play with it in PS.

I call the DS “The Quiet Machine” because Connor is instantly silent when we hand it to him. It makes long drives so much more bearable. :) I also found out today that he has TETRIS!! Love that game and havent played in years! Small moment of glee! lol

Tomorrow is CANADA DAY! I am celebrating in our provincial capitol for the first time ever! SO EXCITED! We are going to have a picnic on the hill, walk the waterfront, listen to music, going to have ice cream and watch an amazing fireworks display! To all of my fellow Canucks, HAVE A HAPPY CANADA DAY! Happy Birthday Canada!

Every Day Woman

2009-06-23T14:16:00.001-03:00

I saw this on Ali Edward’s blog and thought I would give it a go as well. :)

TODAY is…
June 23rd, 2009

Outside my window... The rain has finally stopped.

I am thinking... about whether or not I should have an ice cream cone. I did go for a walk today. Hmmm….

I am thankful for... living in a town that is small enough for comfort but big enough for convenience.

From the kitchen... I had eggs and toast for breakfast.

I am wearing... an old shirt and jeans.

I am creating... a travel journal for our upcoming trip next week.

I am going... to get some ice cream after all! lol

I am reading... Picture Perfect by Jodi Picoult

I am hoping... that the weather is nicer next week than it is this week.

I am hearing... Connor reading out loud what I am typing here.

Around the house... I see so many unfinished projects that I might be able to get to soon. Hopefully. May be some day.

One of my favorite things... is when my mojo goes into overdrive and I feel productive.

A few plans for the rest of the week... baking cupcakes with fondant bumble bees for my grandparents’ anniversary party. Expecting a visit from my brother. Planning our trip next week. Spending a lot of time with Connor because he is now finished school for the year. Oh yeah and seeing MY SISTERS KEEPER on Friday! OH YEAH!

Some 365 photos…

Day 164

My friend, Janice.

Day 165

We went to the park and I brought Connor’s camera. He took a lot of photos. I didnt. ;)

Day 166

I baked my father a tool box cake for Father’s Day, we celebrated early on Friday evening with dinner.

Day 167

Sean, my parents, my niece and Sean’s two aunts went to see UP. We love it! We must, we have seen it twice now! :) 3D BABY! Oh yeah!

Day 168

Self portrait in the make up mirror in the car. :)

Day 169

I baked some apple inspired cupcakes for Connor’s class on their last day! They said they were yummy!

Enjoy your day!

Would you like a cupcake?

2009-06-16T13:27:00.001-03:00

Cuz I baked some! I could put on the tea! :) They are chocolate with butter icing! :) They work out to be almost 500 calories a piece, SO, only eat them if you are REALLY in the mood for one. LOL I used pretty pastel liners and tinted my icing PINK. Connor is not going to be happy about the pink but I AM. :) Ooooh and sprinkles. I want sprinkles! Ever check out Cake Wrecks? Its TOO funny! I laugh every time there is a new post.

Day 162

Sean bought me a new Jodi Picoult book! By new I mean new to me. lol There are only a handful I didnt have and this is one of them. I love Sean. :)

Day 163

Did I mention that I made cupcakes today? :)

Remember I told you about the cat we rescued this winter? Daisy? Well I call her Crazy Daisy because she is quite strange and anti-social, even for a cat! So Sean’s relatives come home from away and there I am telling them how nuts she is and how she hates being around people and she walks in and starts rubbing against everyone! I think she is smarter than I gave her credit for! lol

Today we are having Nan’s party because she wasnt well yesterday! Lots of good times ahead. Thank goodness I went for a run this morning! I did a full 20 minute run with no walking interval. Go me! :) Have a great day!

Weekend Update

2009-06-14T20:04:00.001-03:00

Sweet, sweet high speed. Another year, another annual trip to visit my brother by my parents, another weekend with Shalako. Now, dont let his cute exterior fool you, this little sweetheart is crazy! This weekend while dog sitting for my folks we actually had a really good time. The dog only pooped on the floor twice, ripped up the garbage once and peed on the floor once. Surprisingly, this is really good behaviour. He has a tendency to act out when his parents leave him. He even let us sleep through the night and only today did he sit in the window crying. Good times. He barks at my camera…

Day 161

This is the ring I had made for Sean for his birthday this year. He takes it off all the time and I have no doubt that it will be lost in no time at all.

Day 161

I baked this cake today for Nana. Did it not turn out FABULOUSLY!!! I LOVE IT! I am super proud of myself. Third fondant cake ever. I so rock! lol Except that little part I scratched with my nail when I was trying to attach the balls. ;) Sean wrote the saying on it for me though. He has a steadier hand.

Hope you all had a nice weekend! :)

Pop Up Book

2009-06-12T09:09:00.001-03:00

Day 160

My sweet friend Theresa, at NDISB, had this brilliant idea! She designed and made a pop up book for her son. Theresa was nice enough to share with me and though I did not do her justice, I think I did okay with my time constraint. I had a seven year old sulking, “But I wanna take it to schooooooooool tomorrow.” So I stayed up late cutting, gluing and folding. Got up early today and finished it off. Its not perfect, I messed up some things in my haste but he loves it and thats what matters! I tried to write a story for it but again, my creativity took a vacation when I needed it most. So I wrote about what I knew, they story of Connor and the people who love him. Its more so a mini scrapbook then story book now. lol

These are my rushed photos of my rushed book! lol SOOTC.

This book was created by using Theresa Hernandez’s AMAZING Pop Pages Set 01 available HERE!

We featured T this month in the Artisan Notebook as the Spotlight Designer and let me say, she knocked my socks off! WOW!

I also used He’s Royalty by Vinnie Pearce and Licorice & Lollipops, this month’s Guild kit. Crown is by Gina Miller.

I have been sadly lacking on my 365 photos and blog posting but here goes….

Day 154

I took photos but cant share them here.

Day 155

I think I took one on Seans phone but will have to check.

Day 156

My friend Ellen’s daughter Emma. I snapped this while she told me about how she wants to be a flower princess. Aww, so cute.

This is her son Riley who avoided me like the plague. I tricked him on the swing though! ;)

This is her neighbour’s cat, Tiger, I just thought she was adorable. She REALLY didnt like my camera. Soft though! Man, she was soft.

Day 1 57, Day 158, Day 159

I took some photos on Seans phone and will upload them some day!

That is all I have for today. Hope you liked the book and if you want to make one of your own go visit Theresa’s shop!! :)

Little bout me…

2009-06-05T12:34:00.001-03:00

I havent done one of these in a while so I thought, why not. :) Borrowed from Elsie’s blog.

What is your current obsession?

I have a new obsession each week. This week its making coffee cozies and thinking of dollar store crafts. :)

What's for dinner?

Pasta and salad. I think. May be chicken. May be chicken, pasta and salad. Hmmmm that sounds good.

What's the last thing you bought?

Terracotta planters, just wait until you see what I am doing with them! :) No, never mind. I went to the store today and bought lettuce. Thats not nearly as exciting….

What are you listening to right now?

Meaghan Smith.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?

I would love to be snuggled in bed with this one right now. He is sick and I feel extra sad because he caught it from me.

Day 152

What's your favorite quote (for now)?

One thing life has taught me: if you are interested, you never have to look for new interests. They come to you. When you are genuinely interested in one thing, it will always lead to something else. - Eleanor Roosevelt

What's your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?

Right now… I really like my black shirt with the wood beading.

What's your dream job?

I always used to say pillow tester but I think anything that I am passionate about is fantastic.

What's your worst habit?

I pick at my nails. Well, what I have for nails.

Do you admire anyones style?

Stacey London, seriously, she has style. I suppose she has too…

Describe your personal style?

Plain…. I generally wear plain shirts, jeans and may be one fun accessory.

What are your favorite movies?

The Notebook, Beauty and the Beast (yes, Disney)

What inspires you?

Life. People. Everything, everything inspires in some way. Mostly though I find my inspiration through the people I love, especially my men! How could a face like this not inspire you? lol Plus every day we have some sweet conversation that makes me say Ahhhhh!

What's your favorite book?

I love books, I have a few of them…. anything really by Jodi Picoult but I really loved My Sister’s Keeper. Movie out this month! YAY! White Oleander by Janet Fitch.

Do you collect something?

Memories. I am a scrapbooker after all. ;) The only real collection that I have would be my mice. My Dad buys me a mouse for Christmas every year. He bought my first one the day I was born. I still have it.

Day 153

What do you like most about yourself?

That I am fairly open minded. I live in a society where people are really stuck in a mind set that I dont believe in. I think that over the years I have come to realize that it is okay to like something that someone else doesnt. Its okay to be a different person than who society thinks you should be. People should live their lives for themselves because we only get one chance. (Except for people that are doing harm to themselves or other people, they should get their own island.;))

What's your go-to nail polish color?

Pearl

If you wanna play along... TAG! you're it.

Hugs, Amy

How to: Make a Fabric Bookmark

2009-06-03T16:44:00.001-03:00

Today I am feeling better. Not 100%, but much better. SO! I looked around my place and thought, Wow, what a mess. I should clean. Then I thought, Home alone. I could get be creative. Guess which thought won? lol

This is what I did today!

Licorice and Lollipops by the Guild Designers and Grunge Word Art by Vinnie Pearce, my niece and her boyfriend.

I am going to put together a little basket of goodies for Connor’s teachers as a Thank You for the end of the school year. I only started today so I dont have much but I did make them cute coffee cozies with some material I bought off of Etsy. Is it not adorable?

Photo credit: afabricoutlet @ Etsy.com

I have a list of things I am going to make. One of them was a bookmark. Here is what I came up with, quick, easy, and I used scraps. Plus any excuse to use pinking shears is a good one. ;)

How to Make a Fabric Bookmark

What you will need:

Scrap material (I used two designs)

Iron on Interfacing (you can use the sew on stuff too, just easier this way) & Iron

Pinking Shears (optional)

Scissors

Ribbon

First cut out two pieces of material and one piece of interfacing. I cut out a 6.5 by 2 inch rectangle from a piece of paper as a pattern.

Following the instructions that came with your interfacing, adhere it to the wrong side of one piece of fabric.

Placing the wrong sides of the fabric together, top stitch 1/4 of an inch all around the edge with coordinating thread.

Using your pinking shears, trim around the edges.

Cut a small piece of ribbon, around 4 inches or so. Cut ends to stop it from fraying. Next you cut a small slice in the top middle of the bookmark, about 1/2 an inch, and thread the ribbon through. Make sure that the pretty side of the ribbon is facing up. Then simply stitch the ribbon to the bookmark along your original stitch line.

Done! Was that not quick and easy? It would also be lots of fun with grommets! :)

and here is the backside….

Some 365 photos…

Day 150

I forgot to take a picture yesterday so last night I snapped this quickly. Sean and I had this picture printed and framed for Jess.

Day 151

I had coffee today. Shhhh! Our little secret! ;)

Happy Hump Day!

Warning! Long post ahead! :) Great offer too

2009-06-02T16:12:00.001-03:00

Have you all heard of Clickin’ Moms? I heard about it a few times in the forums but today I stumbled across a post by Natalie Putnam and she has a wonderful offer on her blog. I just had to take advantage. It combines some of my favorite things! Photography, scrapbooking, Etsy, pretty stuff in general. lol Lots of chances to win!!! I havent had a chance to check out the site yet but I plan on spending an hour or so this evening browsing through it. May be post some of my newer photos. You should take advantage of Natalie’s offer, you seriously have nothing to lose! Oh and if you could mention my name, that would be FABULOUS! Thanks. ;)

The June Guild kit was released yesterday along with the newest issue of the Notebook. We did a special hybrid issue with some amazingly talented artists helping us out! FABULOUS! Seriously, great stuff!! Here are a few of my layouts using the kit, Licorice and Lollipops.

(this one includes He’s Royalty by Vinnie Pearce)

A few 365 photos…

Day 146

Day 147

Tracey and I took Connor, two of her nephews and her niece, to the circus on Saturday. Here are Connor and Madison while we waiting to go into the haunted house. I was picking at them saying that they were going to get married. lol They are too adorable.

Oh and on Saturday night, when I was exhausted by the day and in my PJs, we stopped at the store so Sean could buy a slushie and you know what happened? This!

As Sean was pulling into a spot to drive through, a kid in the next car flung his door open. Just happy he wasnt hurt. Cant say the same for Sean’s car though. ;)

Day 148

I have a picture of Sandy I took on this day but its on Seans phone so….another day.

Day 149

Connor had a doctor’s appointment and it ran so late that he didnt have to go to school. We went into the city, while we were waiting to pick my father up at work I thought we would get a slushie because I had a BOGO Free coupon. :)

Have a great day!

A few quick photos….

2009-05-28T22:40:00.001-03:00

I have a horrible cold, still. I have been sleeping like a fool lately. Apparently I was kind enough to share the germs with my father and he is now suffering with me. Today we hung out and complained together. I slept for two hours on his couch. I fell asleep while we were watching the news. Poor Dad. Had to listen to my wheezing the entire time. lol Anyway…. some photos… straight off of the camera!

Day 141

I apparently missed it. I will have to check Sean’s phone to see if I snapped any on that.

Day 142

I ordered this “canvas” print from Artscow. It was on sale and it only cost me $18.99 for the 16x20 and free shipping. Its a paper that has a canvas like texture to it. I like it. Just to find where to hang it and how. May be a simple black frame with no glass? Here is some detail.

Day 143

Connor in bed for the night. He actually came into my bed to “comfort” me because I wasnt feeling well. He is an incredibly sweet and caring child when he wants to be.

Day 144

My latest publication! That is my layout on the bottom left, Adventure. Connor loves being in magazines. This one is Canadian Scrapbooker and will hit the shelves on Monday, June 1st.

Day 145

Jennifer bought Connor this water blaster for his birthday and today was the first chance he got to use it. I filled it all the way and it was so heavy he could barely lift it so we only fill it halfway now. lol Here he is trying to wet me through the window. ;) All of my photos are photos of Connor…hmmmm….. I need some new subjects. Any volunteers????

Connor is also addicted to YouTube!

2009-05-25T15:38:00.001-03:00

It was the little green man that did it! Picture Heavy

2009-05-24T22:34:00.001-03:00

Only my friend Jennifer will understand the title to this post but I just couldnt think of anything to type. ;) This week has been nonstop, go, go, go… I did manage to squeeze in some fun times though! My weekend in photos….

I called my niece and asked if her and her man would like to get some pictures taken. (I only promised her a million times and never found the time.) We didnt have much time and it was COLD but I think we got a few nice shots. I havent finished editing them but here are a few of my faves. :)

I give you Jessica and Michael! Are they not a gorgeous pair? :)

I just love the framing! :)

This is Sean’s favorite.

I love the look on Jesse’s face! lol

Michael is such a doll! Nan ADORES him. I think she would trade us all in for clones of him. lol

Cute! Cute! Cute!

SOOTC…

Day 137

We were in a restaurant so I just bumped the ISO to 1600 and did a quick snap. Dont you hate it when you are out eating and the people in the next booth keep flashing over and over! I do. Its all about the mood lighting!

Day 138

I wanted to go to the fabric store so I bribed Connor with ice cream. Bad parenting, may be, but it worked. ;)

Day 139

We took Connor to see Night at the Museum 2 and stopped at the circus on the way home. I have a video of us on the Ferris Wheel. Will have to upload that to YouTube and share another day. This is with Connor’s camera.

That is Sean on the ground, we were stopped at the top.

Didnt the sky look great? Sean took this one…

Day 140

What? No, nothing like his father. *sarcastic, in case ya didnt get that* At the charity car wash…

We went to my cousin’s wedding. I had fun. Everyone had fun with my camera… The following were taken by me, Sean, my mother, my father, may be my brother, perhaps an uncle or an aunt…..

LOL I swear I only had two coolers. I taught my mother how to use the camera.

I think I danced with everyone but mostly my Dad. I danced for over 2 hours straight. In heels. Ouch. Like my sunburn?

Mom took this one. lol

My brother Mark and his wife Christa.

I told my Uncle Matthew I wouldnt put it on Facebook but I said nothing about my blog. ;) HI AUNT TRENA!

Me and my woman!

Pretty sure Christa took this one without even looking through the viewfinder.

He looked bored. Sooooo…….

That look of pain is real! Dad grabbed me to give me a kiss as I went to get up and I snapped a muscle in my neck. Sean was so proud of himself for capturing my pain. Men. Argh! lol I am a little sore but ok now. It did not stop me from partying…

My Uncle Richard laughed at me. A lot. No really, a lot. That is Uncle Paul in the background. He laughed at me a lot as well.

Meet Aunt Shari and Uncle Wayne who came home for the wedding. Shari tells it like it is and Wayne cheats at board games. I just love them! :)

Hope you all had a great weekend! To my American friends, hope you are STILL having a great long weekend!

You will say WOW every time!

2009-05-19T23:23:00.001-03:00

We were at the store when Connor heard the announcement that they were going to be doing a ShamWow demonstration. He started yelling that we had to go and off we went. When we got to the aisle he was running and yelling at me to run. Everyone laughed but I refused to speed up. lol The man doing the demonstration was so impressed with Connor that he gave us 25 samples! Plus, Connor and I managed to convince Sean we needed the bundle. Yes, I fell for direct marketing. Shame on me. lol When we came home, Connor insisted on doing his own demonstration and asked me to photograph it.

I Wub You by Gina Miller for both layouts on this page.

Yesterday was my nephew’s birthday and when we were arriving at the party, I noticed an eagle sitting on the edge of the cliff. Couldnt pass that up! :) So I yelled at Dad to pull over.

Day 135

I asked Dad to take a picture of me and Mom. We dont really have many nice pictures of us together and I thought it was a good opportunity since we were both wearing make up. ;)

Not long after we took this picture, my mother spotted the eagle through the window and we went outside to see if I could get a closer shot. The street where the party was held is no longer fully open. Part of the cliff gave way a few years back and the town had to fence off the area. Well, my mother decided that she was going to go behind the fence to see a little bird that was sitting on the guard. Quite the scene we were!

Day 136

I just realized that I didnt take a photo today so I snapped this. The corner of my desk where I keep my latest magazines, my scrap albums, my church grim sculpture that my brother bought me, Grimy, as I call him, and my newest little treasure, the box Connor bought me for Mother’s Day. Does the kid not know his mother or what? Perfect little memento box for me.

I am feeling rather ill this evening so I am going to drink some Neocitran and hit the hay. Thanks for stopping by!

My weekend in photos…

2009-05-18T12:07:00.001-03:00

Before the rush of the day began, Sandy and I sat out on the porch in the sun. Sandy has become a sweet friend to me, strange, I know.

Don’t tell Nan I took this photo of her! Its our little secret! ;) I spent most of the day cleaning her place. She will be 93 in a month!

I caught Sean doing this! WAAAAAAY back in the day when he first moved here, he had long wavy blond hair. Seriously, he could have been a Fabio impersonator. Now that it is thinning on top, he gets rid of all of it.

Getting my eight glasses of water in! :) I took all my breaks on the step to enjoy the weather.

We are getting lobster next weekend! Hmm…. the boats were hard at work this weekend.

The oldest candle I have ever seen in person. lol Cute little fella, he is only about an inch tall.

I was cleaning the inside of Sean’s car and accidently left it in Running and drained the battery. Oops. His sister’s man came to my rescue. Thanks Harry.

When Sean left me in the car alone, I changed the wallpaper on his phone to one of my layouts. Hehehehe…

Boo came for coffee with us on Sunday. She was sad that her balloon from Connor’s party got away from her. Lucky her! I had some leftovers in my purse!

I made a coffee cozy for my tea! :) Isnt it darling? Emma asked me why my cup needed a coat. lol Too cute! She even reminded me not to throw it away.

To get a photo of my father without a funny face, just wait 10 more seconds. lol

Dude, just because you are getting old doesnt mean you have to dress like a thrift store rocker. Seriously, throw the jacket away! Ick. Needless to say, I dont like Sean’s vintage tweed thing…yes, thing!

I have been living off of Cream of Wheat this weekend. Why? I dont know. It just is really yummy to me right now. Sean makes it better than I do.

Last night I stopped taking photos but I watched some TV, mailed some letters and ran. I ran 1.3km!!! Go me! So proud of myself. From not being able to run at all to being able to run over a km and not die, its a great feeling.

365 photo!

Day 132

I am writing the company for Neo Shifters, they are NOT easy to snap together.

Day 133

Day 134

A layout I made this weekend with Gina Miller’s kit, I Wub You, that I purchased for $1! Great deal! :)

Hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend! :)

A Warm Day Means…

2009-05-14T21:34:00.001-03:00

A kiss from a friend…

Day 131

Lounging in the grass…

A flower in bloom…

A steak shaped like the island we live on…

A crisp salad…

A hot dog at Papa’s…

and a warm day means running around in nothing but your socks…

Some photos I took with Sean’s phone and just figured out how to use the Bluetooth to get them on the computer.

Sean drawing one of his cartoons for the paper.

Me being oh-so-excited one day when Sean took me somewhere without internet access.

My glasses, exciting, I know.

Some daffodils Connor picked for me one day.

Bored again…

Day 130

Its the only photo I took yesterday. I wanted to show Sean how much this car looks like his, even has the same dent and almost identical plate. (Intrepid)

HI MAGGIE! This is Mags when she came to visit me back in October. :)

Hope everyone is having a great day! I am off to watch the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy! :)

Digital Scrapbooking!

2009-05-12T09:52:00.001-03:00

Digital scrapbooking is the reason that I started this blog but other craftiness is slowing taking over. So today’s post will be dedicated entirely to digital scrapbooking and photography.

Our theme for the Artisan Notebook this month was One Photo, Two Ways and boy is it a fun theme! Maggie and I traded some photos to see what we could come up with! Here are our swaps for her darling little niece Audrey, and her kitty Spunk.

Mine

Credits: Out of this World by Amy Head

Maggie’s

Credits: All You Need is Love by Dee Bee Designs

And here is one I did where I used the same photo more than once on the same page. This is also for my challenge this week where we are creating layouts with the main focus being on a single digit, be it a number, letter or symbol.

Credits: Happy Go Lucky by Shabby Princess

A layout I created from our fabulous photo shoot the other day….

Credits: Hillside Morning by the Guild Designers and He’s Royalty by Vinnie Pearce

Another one from our photo shoot…. I just love Debb’s fun background paper in this kit.

Credits: All You Need is Love by Dee Bee Designs

Some 365 photos….

Day 127

My friend Ellen, her husband Kevin, and their youngest Riley.

Day 128

My battery died on Saturday night and I just forgot to charge it. Oops.

Day 129

Connor sleeping last night. When my camera focused the red light made him scrunch up his face. I took this with available light from the hall. :) Such a sweetie.

I plan on scrapping some more today. Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

2009-05-08T10:36:00.001-03:00

Today my handsome little man turned SEVEN! *gasp* We awoke to cold rain, just like the day he was born. Bittersweet really. :) I walked into his room and whispered, Good morning baby boy. Happy Birthday. He smiled and groggily said, Today is my birthday. Its going to be a good day. It IS going to be a good day for him. He awoke to call from his Papa wishing him a good day. He had sugar cereal for breakfast, his new favorite cookie for snack at school, its hot dog day school, he is the King of the Classroom today and gets to wear a crown, he gets presents and he is having a sleepover with his grandparents. It is a good day indeed.

Day 125

My cake from yesterday’s post.

Day 126

I have a new kit in the store! :) It is Out of This World!

Hope you have a good day!

My First Fondant Cake!

2009-05-07T20:01:00.001-03:00

Awhile back I got it into my head to make Connor’s cake this year with fondant. I headed to Michael’s and thought it was WAY too pricey. So I headed to SuperValu to see their cake selections and there was only one Batman cake. I really didnt like it and Connor said it wasnt what he wanted. He said he wanted the logo, like I said I would make. Argh! Never tell a kid you are going to do something before you check prices. ;) Anyway! I thought, surely there must be a better way! Hello YouTube! A little searching and I found you can make fondant with marshmallows and icing sugar. How cool is that? So I did. :) Only cost me $4. (not including the color) Oh yeah! This is my first every fondant cake! This is actually Sean’s cake and I will bake Connor’s in the morning. I need to make more fondant first.

You like? I like! I know its a little lumpy, but I am learning…

Jungle Abs!

2009-05-06T12:30:00.001-03:00

My son has the best abs I have ever seen. I am not kidding you. You know that little boy who was really popular a few years back because he was weight lifting and whatnot? They called him the World’s Strongest Boy. I honestly believe that Connor could be that boy if he wanted to be. He has the best definition I have seen on a child his age. Connor has a lot of energy and is constantly running and playing. He is always playing on the monkey bars at the school and hanging from anything he can get his hands on. We often play in on the bed lifting him in the air and he will go until we are worn out. Last night we were doing just that when I mentioned how awesome his six pack is! I do this all the time, it amazes me, it really does. Well last night Connor laughed and said, These are my jungle abs! LOL Jungle abs! Our very own Tarzan. That is going to be a layout for sure. Here are a few photos we took. No worries, Connor has never been hurt doing this. I have, Sean has, but Connor hasnt. We always make sure that he comes down safely. :)

Sean refused to use a flash so this is the best shot we have. We do airplane and then Connor kicks his feet straight up into the air so he is almost doing a handstand on my hands. I leave my toes on his chest for support.

I love this shot. I just held camera down, not looking, and snapped once. He was getting tired at this point. lol

Here he is pretending to be scared. Such a ham.

We also had a photo shoot yesterday! It was SO MUCH FUN! He was willing, which is a rarity, and I was so happy about it! These are a few of my faves.

Day 123

And one of me today…. I am apparently in the mood for black and white this week. :)

Day 124

That is my new creative space behind me. I will get some pictures and show you another time.

Thanks for stopping by! :)

May Sketch Challenge!

2009-05-05T11:56:00.001-03:00

My Inspired by Art Challenge this week is the May Sketch! Take this sketch, create a layout and post a link!

Here is my layout that I did with a kit by Bren Boone called At One with Nature.

I also FINALLY finished up this layout that I had been working on for quite awhile and never got around to finishing. Such a cute doggie that followed us home from school one day. This is made with a kit called Embrace by PATRICIA AMARAL DESIGNS.

Also, The Artisan Notebook just released the July Publication call for layouts with the theme Make Believe!

Please send us your best or most creative layouts for our July publication call with a Make Believe theme. If your layout is chosen, you will receive a free issue of the magazine.

Send 8"x8" or 8"x10" layouts, 150 dpi, under 1 mb to amyeileenhead attt msn dotttt com by June 13th.
The subject line should read JULY ISSUE.
In the body of the e-mail, please include:
Layout Name
Your name aka user name
Link to your favorite gallery
About the photo(s):
Techniques:
Journaling:
Credits and fonts:

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Trash to Treasure

2009-05-04T10:54:00.001-03:00

I have been working on a lot of little things this week, that I look forward to sharing soon. Until then, a question from my darling son, “Mommy, why do you always bring home garbage?” LOL You have to love little minds. Why? I bring home garbage because I feel that I can take something that no one else wants and turn it into something lovely.

I found this little number in the deep, dark crevices of my parents’ basement. I am not sure where it came from in the house but I can only assume my father was the one to replace it since it was still there. I asked my father for it and of course, he said yes. One dirty, old window with a broken clasp and full of putty. Well, I scrapped and I scrubbed until it was clean.

I found this little gem of a tutorial over at the blog, Just Something I Made with Cathe Holden, and thought it was perfect! So here is my journey from Trash to Treasure!

I chose a font that I thought would be hard to mess up because I have not a steady hand. I chose Jellyka, Estrya’s Handwriting which can be found at http://www.dafont.com. I simply printed out my words in Photoshop, flipped them so they were mirror images and printed them out.

You then tape them to the GOOD side and flip the window over. Paint along the lines and Voila! A wonderful new focal point for your wall. People said I was crazy, but those same people now admit I did good. lol

The birds are decals I picked up at the Dollar Store awhile back. I will take a better photo in the future, one that incorporates some of the actual room. ;)

Some 365 photos….

Day 115

Another project I am working on….a spice rack.

Day 116

“Mom, stop taking pictures of me, I cant zipper this! Help me!”

Day 117

Day 118

Helping Sean wallpaper while I painted. He was so helpful and only got paint on himself once, which is more then Sean can say.

Day 119

Yeah, its all I had… sometimes the child of a camera obsessed Mom just doesnt want his picture taken. Surprise!

Day 120 & Day 121

I missed them.

Thanks for stopping by!

First Ever Scrap Page Game

2009-04-27T12:35:00.001-03:00

Melly tagged me!!!! When I look back at my older pages I sigh because I was able to capture the perfect moments, without the perfect page. My shadows might have been off, my color scheme may have been suffering, goodness knows my photography wasnt the best, but I still captured those memories. After all, isnt that why we do it? To capture the moments in our lives that we want to share with our children, grandchildren and so on? It does not have to be perfect to be beautiful, it just has to mean something you.

In March of 2006, (just like Melly!) I started digital scrapbooking. My boyfriend had gotten a new laptop awhile before and Photoshop. He asked me to learn PS and teach it to him. I opened the program, laughed, made a comment about the 1000 buttons and closed it. Fast forward…. I was bored and thought, I can do this. So I opened PS and went online to look for tutorials on how to use it. I stumbled across a digi site and clicked on the Gallery link. That was it. That was all it took.

I saw a layout by a lady named “keeplearning” and was blown away. I wanted to create pages like her! She actually sent me an email thanking me for all the comments I made that day on her pages. I guess I made a lot. lol I had done some paper scrapbooking and was eager to learn this new craft. This is the first layout, of my friends, Janice and Jordie. It was a pretty simple style layout. I later started to play with kits and learn about shadows and whatnot….

Side note….”keeplearning” is Debb Cozzi, a lady who I now consider a wonderful friend. I am happy to say that we are now working together at her site, the Guild. Yes, she is the fearless leader of our Gigis. How lucky we all are! I was inspired 3 years ago, I am still inspired today. Thank you Mrs. Cozzi for everything you have shared with me, with us, with the world of digital scrapbooking.

Here are the rules:
1. Show us your first scrapbook page

2. Write a couple of lines about the scrap - associated with your feelings, your thoughts and when you did it.

3. Pass the game on to 5 person and leave a comment on their blog....I'm passing it on to:

Maggie, Carolyn, Christine, Debb, and Tiffany.

As I was writing this entry I thought it might be fun to go back to one of those layouts that I found so inspiring and lift it! I decided on Teaching You to Pray, a layout Debb created of her darling niece back in 2006.

Credits: Marcee Duggar’s Apple Jam and Heritage Postage Alpha

With my soon to be released new kit, Out of this World, here is my page!!

Thanks for the tag Melly! :)

Thanks for stopping by!!!

How to: Felt Flower Hair Clips

2009-04-26T19:49:00.001-03:00

If you are anything like me, you love all things girly. Being the mother of a boy, I do not have many opportunities to buy/make girly things. No matter how many times I try to convince Connor to let me make him dresses or hair bows, he always says no. Go figure. lol With his birthday party coming up, I thought I could take advantage of the opportunity and make some girly things for prizes. I made some hair bows, check them out! :) Images straight off the camera, so please excuse.

What you Need:

felt

buttons

embroidery floss

needle

hot glue gun and glue

scissors

hair clips

First cut out four squares of felt. Small squares for small bows, large squares for large bows. ;) Cut the end of the square into a half moon shape, these will be your petals.

Thread your needle, tying a knot at the end of your string. Next take one of your pieces of felt and fold it in half, then fold back the edges to create a little accordion.

Stick the needle through the straight end of your petal, pull to the knot, continue with the next three petals.

Pull the thread taunt and tie into a knot. Now play with your petals and flatten them out so they are even.

Sew your button to the middle of the flower. Now your flower is complete. Simply use your hot glue to attach the clip to the make of the flower. Done. :)

The rest of my 365 photos for the week….

Day 110

What? What is that number? Oh THAT is a size TWELVE pair of jeans that I am wearing these days. Yeah, much better then the size 16s I was wearing a few months ago. MUCH better! :)

Day 111

Fighting Ninjas??? Connor always has some sort of pose happening.

Day 112

Connor’s room…

Day 113

LOL What do grown adults do on a Saturday afternoon? They go see Monsters Vs Aliens and then spend the rest of the day playing with the glasses. Or at least that is what Sean and I did, we took my Dad too! We all highly recommend it. IN 3D of course!! I love BOB. Seth Rogan is paving the way to making geeks the new Sexy!!!

Day 114

This is my new friend, is she not ADORABLE??? She is a Momiji doll and she is such a sweetie. :)

Tomorrow begins a new week….where did April go?

Frugal Friday!

2009-04-24T13:44:00.001-03:00

If you know me, you know that I am frugal by necessity. However, I also like the challenge of it. I enjoy being able to go through a store and trying to find the best deals I can. There have been times where we have left the store with Sean shaking his head in disbelief. One day he challenged me to tally up what I saved by shopping sales, clearance and using coupons. We chose the day that I went to get groceries and at the end of the day we sat down and marked everything down. I had saved over $100 in one day. Sean no longer laughs at me when I say, “OH wait, I have a coupon for that.” LOL

We promised Connor we would do his room over and he asked for Spiderman. So I went to work and did the best I could with my budget. This pictures are straight off the camera so please excuse my tones. ;)

First we painted the room blue with white trim. Sean drew the web on the wall and then I helped him paint it. It took a surprisingly long time to complete. We bought the Spiderman decal at Walmart for only $20. That desk I bought at a store for only $20 and its in perfect shape, no bench but we have one that fits. The curtains were five dollars.

We bought him just the comforter and the pillow case. Using plain blue sheets saved me a LOT instead of purchasing the licensed sheets. Not that you can even see anything for the pile of stuffies! My parents bought him the blanket, my mother made him one of the throw cushions and they got him the mat. My mother also found those cute Spiderman slippers on sale for only $2.

For the pictures I used old white frames we had on hand. I simply downloaded Spiderman pictures from the web and framed them. I did the same with the clock. When Connor was born he was given this clock as a gift but it was Winnie the Pooh, so I just redid it. I had the stickers on hand so it cost me nothing but paper and ink.

He loves his room. :) Thanks for stopping by! For more Frugal Friday posts check out The Shabby Nest! I just discovered this blog today and it inspired me to post this! Thanks for the inspiration.

Speed Scrap!

2009-04-22T10:17:00.001-03:00

Every Monday night I host an Inspired by Art chat at the Guild. Every week the ladies create amazing pages that truly awe me. :) They are wonderful! We would love to have YOU join us as well! This week my challenge was to create a full layout in 30 minutes or less. Yes, there was a lot of groaning and people saying they just cant do it! I KNOW they can do it!!!! :) However, to help inspire I created a FREE template for everyone to download. Feel free to take it! If you create a page with it I would love to see it!!! Just link back here and I will post your layout on my blog. Actually if you have any layouts you created in under 30 minutes, LINK ME UP! :)

You can download it here.

This layout is of my darling little niece, Emma. She is such a doll and just LOVES my camera! lol She was eating a donut, hence the pink and blue streaks on her face. The kit I used on this page is a Guild Encore kit called Freestyle Frolic from last Spring.

The original layout I created for my challenge is this one….

This page was created in under 30 minutes with this month’s Guild kit, Hillside Morning and Vinnie Pearce’s kit, He’s Royalty.

Here is a page by CT Member Amson, Cup of Tea, using my kit Sunday Morning Coffee.

A wonderful page by Guild Member ChiChi, Simply Perfect.

A few 365 photos….

Day 103

I cant show this one online…. I dont have permission. :)

Day 104

Connor had been begging me to take him back to this library. Not only does he love to read but they have a little play center and a fish tank. I was pleasantly surprised to find out they have free wireless so I could work while he played. SO NICE!

Day 105

Connor’s party is coming up fast! I spent this day making Batman symbols out of felt for the capes. The bats were slightly annoying to cut out.

Day 106

A project that I am working on and should be able to show you shortly.

Day 107

Another project I am working on! I know, I have a lot on the go. I am making some hair pins here…. My trusty Tim’s next to me at all times! ;) Connor keeps taking my pliers because he says they arent “real” tools anyway. Kids.

Day 108

Picture a really cute baby in this spot. I dont have permission to post though.

Day 109

That would be today…. I didnt take any photos yet today…..

Thanks for stopping by!

OMG! OMG! OMG!

2009-04-21T10:39:00.001-03:00

How could I have been lost in this world like this? HOW could I NOT know that they were making a movie out of My Sister’s Keeper? Starring Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin, and Sofia Vassilieva.

Jodi Picoult is, without any doubt, my most favourite author. My Sister’s Keeper is the first book to ever make me shed a tear. A book had never actually moved me to tears before, but this one…this one had me hook, line and sinker. Her books make you question yourself, question the world, hate the world, love the world, they make you think, laugh, cry, they make you angry, happy, they make you a believer, a dreamer, a realistic, they teach you about the trials in life, the best moments in life, they capture every emotion, they capture me. I have never met an author whose stories have touched me like her books have…

Even the preview had me in tears….visit her site to watch it!!!

June 26th….where will you find? Crying, hysterically, in a dark room with a bunch of strangers and loving every minute of it….

This news MADE MY DAY! :) I am currently reading Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult and it too, has made me cry and talk out loud. Yes, I talk to books. LOL

A Little Freebie for Ya!

2009-04-17T13:07:00.001-03:00

My fabulous CT member Sayo, aka bunnynose, created this wonderful page as a gift for my blog readers. Isnt she a doll? She used my kit Sunday Morning Coffee for this one which is ON SALE for 30% during the month of April!

AND! I thought, heck, I should make one too! So here is mine! To save the pages, just click on them to bring up the full size version, then right click on the image and choose Save As, otherwise you will get the black in there. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

BLOGS! BLOGS! BLOGS!!

2009-04-16T10:30:00.001-03:00

A part of my every day being is surfing blogs. I love blogs!! LOVE THEM! I find that you can go to any “expert” site and learn a few things but when you visit BLOGS you can learn AMAZING things! Blogs are goldmines of information, inspiration and learning! There are a few blogs I check regularly and a few I occasionally pop in on. I am finding new blogs every day! I have my bookmarks set up for Digital Scrapbooking Blogs, Handmade/Paper Scrapping Blogs, Projects to Try (for specific blog pages that I want to try some day), Photography Blogs, well…you get the idea! At least my blogs are organized, right?

A few of my daily blog reads are…

Simple Me by Donna Downey (I have a creative crush on her)

A Beautiful Mess by Elsie Flannigan

EnJOY It by Elise

Oh my! So cute!

PoppyTalk

Here are a few blogs I discovered this week that I love!

Dollar Store Crafts (if you really know me, you know I love doing cheap projects and I love dollar stores, perfect combination)

A Soft Place to Land (love her style!) This lovely is having a give away for a gift certificate from Lisa Leonard, who doesnt LOVE her? Check it out here!

Reinvented! (Who doesnt love digging through trash for treasures? lol)

Some 365 photos that I have been slacking on…

Day 96

Hillside Morning by the Guild Designers

Day 97

This kid needs more COWBELL! :) I was so excited to find some cowbells and sheep bells in my Dad’s barn. LOL

Day 98

Day 99

Day 100

He’s Royalty by Vinnie Pearce

Day 101

Speaking of going through the trash…*cough cough* ok, it doesnt look like much now but give me a week!!!! I have big plans for this chair!

Day 102

The face only a mother could love….. LOL

Have a great day! Dont forget to scroll down for some FREEBIES and some Crafty Ideas!!! :)

NDISB’s April Blog Train!

2009-04-15T20:30:00.001-03:00

COUPON CODE HAS BEEN FIXED!!! THANK YOU!!!!

This month at NDISB we are having our very first monthly blog train! How exciting is that? With all these designers and one naturally GORGEOUS kit that celebrates our wonderful Earth, how could you go wrong following this train? Jump on board! CHOO-CHOO! LOL Ok, a little corny but seriously, how could you miss out on this one? In case you have just jumped on the train here, you can find all of the designer’s taking part listed on our main blog here.

A Natural Earth by the NDISB designers.

This is my part of the contribution here! The coupon code is NDISB-BT-AEH-n94be!!!!!

The next stop on this train is CHARLIZE’s ART blog Life in Beautiful Frames, such a cool name for a blog, is it not?

Thanks for joining us on the train!!! Oh and remember! We would love to see what you create with the pieces so feel free to post them in our gallery!!! :)

The Dryer Escapade!

2009-04-14T11:58:00.001-03:00

When I moved out of my parents’ house I was fortunate enough to have an apartment where the dryer/washer were included. Yeehaw! Unfortunately, the landlords ended up being a little loopy. Ok, a LOT loopy and I had to move out. The next place I moved into ALSO had a washer and dryer included. YIPPEE!!! However, there was a house fire and I had to move out. Booo! My brother, who lived in the downstairs apartment, got the washer/dryer and I left with nothing. HOWEVER! Bright and shining lights were upon me! After months of washing my clothes in an ANCIENT washing machine, you know the kind that you wash on one side and spin on the other? Yeah, one of THOSE! I was even SHOCKED once!!! Ok, twice. I didnt learn my lesson. Anyway! A friend called and said he knew someone who had just bought a new set and wanted to know if I wanted the old set. Ummm YEAH! So they brought them over and I was in bliss! BLISS! Three years later the washer broke, no issue, we bought a new one because we just happened to have a way too. Four years after the fact, we got a different dryer to replace the old one. Different dryer, not NEW dryer, different dryer.

A few weeks ago, the dryer stopped putting out heat. OH NO! THE ELEMENT IS SHOT!! Nope!! My father, the hero, came over and worked on the dryer and eventually fixed it. YAY!! Love my Dad. Best part? Cost TWO DOLLARS to fix it!! Fast forward two blissful, dry, beautifully done laundry weeks later, and the dryer wont turn on! WHAT? NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I call my mother, she says SoNSo just got a new set, call and see if the old dryer works. Ring, ring, ring….hello? Yes? Oh, it works! Come and get it! YAY! So I call Sean, head to my Poppy’s house (cuz he has a truck) and gather up my cousin (cuz he has muscles). We go and pick up the new-to-me dryer and bring it in the house. Poppy and Cuz leave and Sean says to me, Ummmm baby? Yes? There is no plug on the dryer?

WHAT!!! What do you MEAN there is NO PLUG!? No plug. Ring, ring, ring….Hello Daddy? Have I told you how much I love you lately? So out he comes with the toolbox, after much time, grunts, groans and general annoyance from me, Sean and Father, we get the plug off of the old dryer, onto the new dryer. We hold our breath in anticipation! Plug the dryer in! Dad says, Hit the switch! To which I reply, there is no switch, only a button I can push. PUSH THE *insert foul language one’s father should never yell at his sweet, innocent daughter here* BUTTON! I push the button, out of fear for my own safety. ;) AND!!!!,……nothing. Nothing happens! BUT SHE SAID IT WORKED, I screamed and tears formed in my eyes. I was SOOOOOOO frustrated! Dad got out his D0-Hickey machine and checked everything, everything should work. BUT IT DOESNT!!!

Want to know what it was? The old dryer had blown the fuse. Seven dollars for a new fuse AND drum roll please……New-to-me dryer works! YAY!!! Clothes are dry, Amy is HAPPY!!!! No more clothes hanging from my shower rod, the backs of chairs, the bathroom door….its all GOOD! :) Sure, the dryer is UGLY but it DRIES my clothes and it saved me from having to pay $300 for a new one.

Price to fix the dryers….$15 (coffee for labour)

Trips to the store…2

People I annoyed in the last month because of my broken dryer issue…6.37 million

Price of having a dryer that actually dries my clothing?

Priceless!!!!! :)

How To: Custom Checkerboard

2009-04-12T17:41:00.001-03:00

It was the day before Easter and we still hadnt thought of something unique to do for Connor. Having talked to my parents I knew that going into the city was out of the question because of the traffic. We were really limited. I thought I could find something but there was nothing that I knew would make him excited. I had planned a Scavenger Hunt for him with clues and the final clue was going to lead to something special. I said that he was playing checkers a lot on the computer and that may be we could find him a board. We could not. We were so frustrated but finally Sean said, Why not make him one? So we did!

What you need:

12x12 square of word

1.25inch wooden dowel

Mod Podge

Brushes

Paint in colors you want for your board and pieces

Saw

Painters’ tape

Photos cut in circles for game pieces

First we cut the wooden dowel into .75inch coins, sanded until smooth. You will need 24 pieces, 12 of each color. Paint your pieces and let them dry.

In Photoshop I took a picture of Connor and turned it into 1inch circle and duplicated it 12 times. I wanted to use the same pictures on both colors so I simply changed the color of his jacket using Photoshop. Using the Lasso tool I selected his jacket, then went to Image>Hue Saturation>Changed from Master to Blue>Upped the Saturation until his blue jacket turned red.

I then opened a second photo and added a crown from a stock photo and repeated the above steps. Printed them on good photo paper, cut them out and then using Mod Podge, glued the photos onto the coins. Blue jacket photo on the black coins, red jacket photos on the red coins. Regular photo on one side and the crown photo on the opposite side.

Sean cut a 12x12 piece of wood, painted it red and waited for it to dry. Then using painter’'s tape, he made a grid and painted the black squares. Each square equals 1.5inch. Voila! Your own custom checkerboard!!! We also added a 8x8 inch black base to lift it off of the table but that is not necessary. Sean just screwed that to the bottom of the board.

Connor LOV ED it! It was unique, personal and something he really cherishes now!

Easter Weekend!

2009-04-09T13:09:00.001-03:00

This afternoon when I pick Connor up for the day, it will officially begin his Easter weekend! This morning when I brought the treat basket to his class the excitement was astounding. They were all so eager to get on with their party. The kids loved the treat bags and the teachers gave me some wonderful compliments. It really made my day!

I need to catch up on my 365 photos so here they are!

Day 91

My business card holder in the planning stage.

Day 92

Dad and I at Sunday morning coffee.

Day 93

The recipe for this smoothie can be found here.

Connor’s camera was handy so I used it for the next two days.

Day 94

The mess on my floor while I watched the Biggest Loser. lol You can see my handmade journal, some felt for a new project I am working on, a note from Connor’s teacher and my laptop. Also shown is my Clean Eating Magazine. I love this magazine, it is just a fountain of good things. We made the clean Mac N Cheese for supper the other night and it was a HIT! Connor loved it and just ate every drop. Sean still prefers real KD but thats just too bad. lol I LOVED it! Loved it.

Day 95

Normally my snack while watching movies would have been chips, popcorn, ice cream, etc., now it is an apple with peanut butter and some tea. Yummy! I am really excited about how my attitude towards food is changing. Food is becoming a friend in a whole new way and its very exciting. I am now down 19lbs!! Whoot whoot! Which means that I only have one more pound to go to hit the big goal of 20lbs. I have never reached that number before. I always lose around 15lbs and gain it back. I am feeling stronger now though and I know I can do this! :) Wish me luck!

New Business Card Holder!

2009-04-05T18:46:00.001-03:00

Until today I was keeping my new business cards in my wallet with my receipts, which was quite annoying. I seriously have more receipts than money in there. ;) So I wanted to make something cute, quick and efficient for my cards. So I got busy. I thought, what could I possibly do? Well I had just bought a WHOLE BUNCH of felt at the store, because it was on sale and I had ambitions to create some hair bows for the girls. I thought, it should be easy to make a card holder with the felt. Boring though, right? SO I thought, how cool would it be to make a business card holder that LOOKED LIKE A CAMERA! Genius, I know. :) So I grabbed Connor’s camera and used it as a model because my cameras are all much bigger. I have discovered that I love felt so expect more felt projects soon!

The best part was that even if I had to buy the stuff, it would have cost me no more than two dollars. TWO DOLLARS for a cool business card holder. I rock. :) LOL Ok, ok, I will admit it. I am not as cool as you think. Once I thought of how cool it would be, I opened my friend Google and did some searching, found this and was totally inspired! I am definitely going to be making Connor a camera case like these ones.

Happy Day!

How to Make A Bunny Basket

2009-04-03T12:50:00.001-03:00

Remember this post when I started making the Easter project? Well, I am almost completely done now. Today I made the bunny basket!

What you need:

White basket (I got mine at the dollar store)

Felt pieces in white, pink and black

Chenille stems in white and black (we call them pipe cleaners here)

Pinking shears

Glue

Sewing machine

Take your white pieces of felt and cut out 4 long triangles, these will be your ears. Cut out two smaller triangles in pink for the inside of the ears.

Now take your one of your pink pieces and sew it to the front of one white piece. Now do the same for the next piece. Now place the fr ont of the ear on the back piece of the ear and sew them together, repeating for the second ear. DO NOT sew the bottom of the ears closed, we need a pocket there. You could stuff them if you wanted!

We are now going to grab those chenille stems and bend each one in half, then put one into each ear through the bottom hole. This will allow you to bend and shape the ears whichever way you want on your basket.

Next simply glue the bottom of the ears to the INSIDE of the basket, this way it hides the messy bottom. ;)

That was as hard as it gets. Next simply cut out the eyes, glue them together and on the outside of the basket. Cut out a nose from the pink felt and glue that on.

Lastly we take the black chenille stem and cut two small pieces off of it. I used about two inches. Twist the top of the two together, then bend the bottoms into a U shape, glue to basket making sure to stick the top under the nose. Voila! A bunny basket for your treats!

Day 90

I was also scrapping yesterday. I was inspired by Therese Rydstrom’s article "Less is More” in the Artisan Notebook this month and created this page! I used the new Guild kit, Hillside Morning and my own Acidic Addictions PS Action available at NDISB.

Some 365 Photos!

Day 87

My creative space, my kitchen table. LOL You can see a little bit of everything, my sewing machine, my lomo camera, my ribbons, my tea, my computer info….

Day 88

I was try ing to get some texture shots and my battery died, this is all I have. lol

Day 89

Have a good day!

It’s APRIL!

2009-04-01T10:46:00.001-03:00

The first of the month is ALWAYS exciting but this month is going to ROCK YOUR SOCKS! I am SOOOO excited to announce that I am the Spotlight Designer over at NDISB for the month of April! My whole store is on SALE at 30% for the WHOLE MONTH! I have a fun new kit out called Sunday Morning Coffee which can be found HERE!

If you sign up for the Newsletter you will also get a FREE Bonus Alpha to match the kit! How cool is THAT!

We have a brand new Guild kit released called Hillside Morning and later today a brand new issue of the Artisan Notebook!!! The kit and Notebook are just JAM packed with goodies!!! For more information about Guild Memberships click HERE!

How exciting it this! This is my first blog train and I am THRILLED to be taking part!! There are 91 designers taking part so that means there are 91 downloads!!! *gasp* So make sure you dont miss out on a single one! Check out the main blog! It has a list of ALL the designers taking part and links to their blogs!

**Please remember that everyone is on a different time zone and we will link up as soon as possible!!**

A preview of ALL of the goodies you will receive from all of the blogs that are taking part!

My little contribution can be downloaded HERE!

Next stop on the train is Casey Krause at Pretty Scrappy!

Have fun!!!

Easter Project in the Works!

2009-03-30T22:37:00.001-03:00

Each time Connor’s class has a party I like to make a little something for him to bring in. Each child who brings something gets to go around and pass out their gift to their friends and I wouldnt want him to miss out on it. He is always so proud of himself when he does. Coming up with a gift for the children for Easter, and keep it within budget, was rather tricky for me. I think I have come up with something fun though. In total it has cost me a whopping $10!! LOL That is enough treats for the 26 kids in his class and his teacher’s little boy.

First I took some plain cloth I got at the fabric store, only cost me a quarter for almost a yard, cut rectangles with some pinking shears for a fun edge. I then took some foam magnets I found at the store, could not find any real stamps or cookie cutters in town, and stamped on some Spring-y elements with paint.

Next I sewed up three sides, sliced some holes for some pretty ribbon and filled the bags with egg shaped gum balls. I also bought a white weave basket, filled with basket fill and am going to make it into a bunny. Here is what I have so far! I am slowly learning that it doesnt have to be perfect to be cute.

Day 85

Day 86

I have been slacking on my 365 photos. *hangs head in shame* I am hoping to get back on track though! I have been rather busy lately and you will all see the products of my sweat come the first of the month. :)

Some photos….I missed Day 74, 75 and 76, Oops.

Day 77

Day 78

Day 79

The hot water in the apartment above me burst and flooded my place. They cut a hole in my kitchen ceiling to make sure that it would dry out.

Day 80

Jennifer and I stopped by the new pet store and she just fell in love with this little guy.

Day 81

I have been working on some more crayon rolls and Connor was coloring next to me with his mini markers.

Day 82

Missed it. :(

Day 83

Day 84

Missed it again.

I have a little treat for you! Something I threw together for my chat tonight. If you want to join us it is at 10PM EST in the Guild chat room. A small bit of word art called Pieces, you can download it here.

Have a good night!

Bad Blogger

2009-03-30T00:33:00.001-03:00

I havent been the best blogger lately. :( I have been posting a bit more over at the Losing It with the Gigis Blog. I am now down 17lbs which makes me very happy. I am going to see about doing some measurements tomorrow to see what kind of inches I am losing. I went for two walks today. Running just wasnt in the cards for me. I have been doing a lot of it lately though, that and yoga. Planks, killer but you know they work the abs. I promise to post a better post tomorrow. Complete with a new project I am working on.

This is a layout I completed tonight. A little reminder that I am the only one who controls my life. While walking through town tonight I had a group of young boys yell out of their car that I was fat and started mooing at me. Not only that but they then went out of their way to keep coming back. Do they really think that we need reminders that we arent in good shape? That we dont know even? Do they really think that they could say things to us that we havent already said to ourselves? Do they not realize that a fat girl’s worst enemy is herself? Old Amy would have stuck her tail between her legs, put her head down and walked home to a bowl of ice cream. New Amy did not. New Amy used the anger as fuel and walked for an hour and a half, came home and had an apple. I like New Amy better. Besides, I would rather be fat then ignorant and dumb. ;)

Oh and I have a new business card! I came up with the idea, Sean drew the camera and then I threw it all together in PS.

Connor is raising money for Heart & Stroke if anyone is interested in helping him. He will be participating in a Jump-a-thon at the end of April to help raise awareness. You can see his page here.

I did a layout of Sandy. I hate to admit how much I am starting to like the cats. Ick. LOL

Thanks for stopping by! Better post tomorrow. Promise. :)

What a FABULOUS Week!

2009-03-18T11:34:00.001-03:00

On Saturday my most wonderful man bought me a laptop. How exciting is that! I have never owned a new computer before and its just a great feeling. I can now open Photoshop in less then SIX SECONDS! That amazes me, it was a day long event on my desktop. lol I even MADE a laptop bag!!! Can you believe it? Not only did I start a sewing project, I finished it! The same day too!

Day 72

I was also busy sewing up some crayon rolls for my nieces and nephew for Easter.

Day 70

On Saturday we went to hang out with my friends at Ellen’s daugther’s 4th birthday party.

Day 71

On Sunday my friend Jennifer came over because my birthday gift had arrived. :) Guess what she got me? A DIANA F+ CAMERA! LOMO BABY!! So exciting. I cant wait to learn, to play and to see the results. She also got me ten rolls of film for it. YES!

Day 73

To achieve this faux lomo effect I used my Acidic Addictions Photoshop Action, then put a vignette on it and a black stroke.

Yesterday I received my new camera strap, which I have yet to take a picture of but it is already on the camera. :) Its so cute!! Today I received my Amy Butler fabric. Oh how I love her style but you cannot buy her stuff around here. Thank goodness I discovered Etsy! :) I bought some Coriander Pine which I believe I will be making a laptop bag with. The one here in this post was suppose to be a ‘trial and error’ bag. lol It turned out well but its not padded enough for my liking. I am going to give that one to my mother when for her meetings.

Today I launched a new blog! its called Losing It with the Gigis. My friends and I over at the Guild are starting a weight loss challenge with ourselves. Please join us if you like! :) Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Birthday Dad!

2009-03-12T21:45:00.001-03:00

Today my father is 57 years young. :) I know he had a good day from start to finish. He was grinning from ear to ear the entire time he was here for his 'party.' Connor and I baked him a cake and made him cards. Plus we got him a signed copy of The Vinyl Cafe's latest book by Stuart McLean. I only took one picture tonight but we had a lovely time.

Day 69

I have been feeling like sewing lately. Which is odd because I generally despise the sewing machine. I am one of those people that measure three times, cut once and mess up ten times. lol Ok, I am not that bad but I have had my moments. Picture me if you will, nine months pregnant with Connor, on the kitchen floor of my parents' house at 1am crying hysterically because I messed up a blanket I was making for my boy. My father walked into the room, turned around and went upstairs. I believe I was screaming something along the lines of being a complete failure and for him to leave me alone. lol I blame it on the hormones. I have a lot of pregnancy stories. ;)

ANYWAY! I found this fabulous tutorial for Crayon Rolls and eagerly jumped into it today. I made TWO! My friend's little girl is having a birthday on Sunday so I made one for her and one for her baby brother. He is still too young for crayons but there is always next year for him to use it. :)

This is the first one I made so it's kind of messy.

She loves Disney Princess so I bought her some of the crayons and made the roll to match in colors.

I am planning on making some more tomorrow. Connor has requested a Spiderman one to match his room. I might go to my mother's to make some. She has a serger so it will be a great excuse to play. ;)

My 365 for yesterday... We like movies. Can ya tell? This is a small section. We buy them on sale from our local video store second hand. Great deals.

Day 68

Today is my third anniversary of digital scrapbooking. :) That makes me happy. Its officially my longest obsession.

SCORE!!!

2009-03-11T16:31:00.001-03:00

Score, its what I yell when I make a FABULOUS purchase! Connor's birthday is coming up in May and he wants a Batman theme party! Batman, I can do Batman! I really like planning parties. I try to be creative, while saving money, and making it fun for the kids. For Connor's first birthday I did nothing. Really. We had a few family and friends to the house for cake. For his second party? Momma went ALL out! We rented a hall and had a carnival theme party. My friend Courtney and I made a clown costume for her. I dressed as a mime. My Dad was the ring master/hot dog vender including bow tie and vending box. We made balloon animals, Sean did face painting, pin the nose on the clown, piñata, bean bag toss that I made everything for, "heavy man" competition where I made the "weights" with black balloons and a broom handle, etc.. LOL It was so much fun! Courtney and I even made the cake! It was a clown head. The hair was cotton candy, the nose was a lollipop. Very cool party. :) He was sick. He always seems to be sick on his birthday.

We had a Bob the Builder party once, a SpongeBob once, a Cars themed party with everything related to cars and racing, we went out to a Fun House for one where the kids could plan on these giant toys. Each room had its own theme including massive bouncy tents, virtual golf, video games, etc.. I cant remember some of them. I remember last year we had a Transformer party. Oh man it was fun! I got a bunch of games off of the Internet. We played pin the logo on the Transformer. Scavenger hunt for "the cube" which was filled with goodies, piñata, Transformer cake....lots of fun stuff. The kids had a blast.

This year Sean and I are making each child their own Batman capes in place of treat bags. They will be getting lots of treats at the party and from the piñata, so they wont be missing any sugar! I headed into the city with my mother to buy some fabric because she said the store was having a sale! What a DEAL we got! I will have to share when I am done planning.

We got over nine yards of black "cape" material, 6 yards of ribbon, three yards of miscellaneous fabric, and like 30 pieces of felt for FIFTEEN DOLLARS! *chin drops* Can you imagine the giddiness I felt?? When we got to the car I started yelling at Sean to drive away like the lady in the Ikea commercial. lol

I have been scrapping!! With this month's Guild kit, Remember This. My niece Deliah...

This one also uses my Wonderful You word art.

Inspired by SoBlessed's layout, Dada. Brush by mimi.

Project 365!

Day 67

Connor asked me to make him a pillow case with the fabric he bought last month. He loves it. :) Such a long post today...

Fun in the Kitchen

2009-03-09T21:06:00.001-03:00

Tonight after supper Connor asked what we could have for a snack. Well, I didnt have anything ready so I thought we might be able to throw something together. So we worked together and made some peanut butter bars. They actually turned our pretty good. They are clean and gluten free. :) Connor originally wanted to call them Brown Balls but I pointed out that they arent balls. SO we came up with Bear Bars because bears like peanut butter and honey. ;)

Bear Bars

1 cup of all natural peanut butter

1 cup of honey

1 tbsp of baking soda

1 egg and 2 egg whites beaten

Mix together in a bowl, spread on a cookie sheet and back in a preheated oven at 350C for about 10-15 minutes.

Variations

On some of the batter I tossed on some walnuts. On another area I put a thin coating of unsweetened applesauce and some cinnamon. I LOVE the applesauce part, Sean really like the walnut part and Connor was a fan of the plain ones.

I am doing so badly on my 365 photos these last two weeks. I missed another day. Ack. I promise I will do better. On Friday I left my house at 8:30am, without a camera, and did not make it back home until noon on Saturday. Things were hectic and the last thing on my mind was taking photos. :(

Day 64

Sean is getting annoyed with me taking all of these late night photos of him. lol

Day 65

I was feeling creative on Sunday so I painted this. I never said I was a good painter! This is going to be my business card design I think, with my web address on the backside. I also said I wanted to do a version that says, "I shoot people for a living." My mother literally reacted with HORROR so I am definitely going to do it. ;) My father thought it was a great idea and made a few mafia related jokes.

Day 66

One day last week we were walking to school when this dog came out of nowhere and started walking with us. He walked all the way to the school with us and then disappeared. Connor asked where he was today and SURPRISE he came! He showed up when we were almost home and followed us tot he house. He even came up on the step so I grabbed a quick shot. Aint he the cutest?

Have a good one...

We may not be big, but we are small.

2009-03-05T23:54:00.001-04:00

Last night Mr. Casey and I headed out to the local theatre to watch a show. His sister gave us tickets to see The Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean for Christmas and last night was the night. When she called and asked me if I thought it was a good gift idea, I responded with, "I am SURE that SEAN will LOVE it." She offered to get me something else and I said that was silly, of course I would go with him. Who is Stuart McLean? Well, he is a lovely man who tells this beautiful life stories on the CBC radio. Sean has literally spent hours sitting in his car and listening to them. I am a bit of an antsy person and it bugs me to sit in one spot just listening. I have listened to a total of ONE full story. Until last night that is! I am SO SO SO glad that I went with him. It was such a perfect evening. There were stories that made us laugh, nod in understanding, smile and shake our heads and even one that literally brought the audience to tears. It was an amazing feeling. Mr. McLean said he liked it because it felt as if we were all sitting together in someone's living room and just talking. You know what? He was dead on. Such a warm, cozy and inviting atmosphere.

A terrific surprise was the musical entertainment. Between each story there was a little musical interlude. Mr. McLean really knows how to put a show together! The first musical act was a man named Matt Anderson who seriously sent chills down my spine. WOW! That man rocked the stage. He first sang, Aint No Sunshine, and it was the best version I have ever heard. Amazing. Such a doll too! I talked to him after the show, he signed a CD for us. A man said he had a voice like honey, I concur. He just recently won two ECMAs for Best Male Vocalist and Best Blues Album. So deserving...

The second musical act just stole my heart. Her name is Meaghan Smith (pronounced MEE-GAN) and she is the coolest chick around. I talked to her after the show as well and just wanted to take her home with me. She has this vintage chic appeal to her. We bought her CD as well and its just lovely. Its fun, funky and fresh. Next month she will be touring with K.D. Lang which is exciting! She is going to be a big star some day, I am sure. Plus, she has a bowler hat. I asked Sean if I could get away with one and he said no. :( Makes me sad. Anyway, she only lives 5 hours from here so I am hoping we get to see her again soon.

(I borrowed this photo from a music site)

Tonight they had a second show and I walked back up in the FREEZING cold to get a book signed for my Dad. His birthday is next week and I thought it would be something he would enjoy. I was talking to Mr. McLean, he signed the book for me, and he said that they will be back in two years. Sean, Dad and I will be there with bells on.

Some of my 365 photos for this week...

Day 60

My smoothie! Yummy!

1 cup of frozen fruit (raspberry, strawberry, blueberry and black berry)

2 TBSP of plain yogurt

1 cup of OJ

Sprinkle of Flaxseed

Day 61

Me....we were leaving for the show last night and I snapped this. I actually took a picture of Connor for yesterday but its on his camera and I couldnt be bothered to find it. ;)

Day 62

Connor said that supper was "Awesome." He seems like he really enjoyed it. He ate the whole thing without complaint. Usually he thinks that supper is a negotiation. One more bite of this, two more of this and none of this. Yeah, no. Tonight we had a hot hamburger and veggies. Hot hamburger was one open faced with whole wheat bread, gluten free gravy and extra lean ground beef. Mashed potatoes and carrots. Nice. I am now down 16lbs. :)

A Beautiful Mess

2009-03-03T10:39:00.001-04:00

Today is a beautiful mess. No other way to describe it. It is PLUS SEVEN outside my door and that is amazing. The snow and ice are melting which is WONDERFUL but at the same time creates a complete mess. I walked on a sidewalk today!!!! They are still there under all the mess!!! lol There is mud and slush everywhere to be seen. This morning I went for my run and by the time I was back home I was covered from head to toe in mud and water. From running through it, to being splashed by cars as they passed, I was looking like a monster from the swamplands. It was not enjoyable. Nope, not enjoyable. I was happy for the warmth but not so happy about the mess. I guess I just cant be satisfied. lol

I read this quote on a blog today and thought, WOW, thats so me. I can learn from this quote.

Souza : For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. This perspective has helped me to see there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one.

I think I will scrap a layout today with that as my inspiration. Speaking of which, last night was our usual Monday evening chat at the Guild. We spoke about using a sketch as inspiration. Every month I create a sketch and this is the one for March.

Here is the layout I created using the sketch. :) The kit is For Mellisa, a charity kit.

If you feel inspired, please use this sketch to create a page and let me know. :) I would love to see it. If you want, you could even post it in the Guild Gallery where you will receive lots of love and post a link in the challenge thread so we dont miss it.

A few 365 photos and I am outta here!

Day 51

This is where it would have gone if I had taken it. Oops. First one I missed.

Day 52

Connor out playing in the snow. He was rather annoyed that I made him stop so I could snap a photo. ONE PHOTO. Kids.

Day 53

Ya gotta use gusto when fighting plaque!! lol Connor brushing his teeth before bed.

Day 54

Oops, I missed this one two. THATS TWO! Oh man...

Day 55

Dressed up to go to church with Nana. Apparently ties are nooses! ;) Did I not do a horrible job on that knot?

Day 56

It was so late and we were so tired. *yawn*

Day 57

Say hello to Shalako. Shalako is my parents' dog and he is getting crazy in his old age. He just turned 9 in January and is slightly loopy. For instance, he will follow me around barking but when I go to pet him, he runs and hides under the bed. Dont believe me? Here's the proof!

Barking at me....

Hiding under the bed...

Like I said, the dog is a little loopy....

Day 59

The thumbtacks I made in yesterday's post.

Hope you have a good day. Oh and remember that the Guild is having a photo contest with almost $1000 in prizes. Contest sponsors include The Guild, Vinnie Pierce, Lori Davidson, Phoung Ton, Viva Artistry, Theresa Hernandez, and more! So stop by with your favourite baby/pet photos and you never know, you might win!

How To: Make your own pretty Thumbtacks

2009-03-02T18:57:00.001-04:00

What you need:

flat top thumbtacks

decorative paper

glue (you will need something strong to attach the tacks, I used E6000 for that and Mod Podge for the paper)

clear stones

scissors

pencil

brush

First take your glass stone and place it on your decorative paper, trace around it, cut it out. Then you are going to glue the paper to the back of the stone and wait for it to dry. You could even use small photos. :)

When they are dry, put a dab of your strong glue on the head of the thumbtack and press it to the back of the stone. Do not use the tacks for at least 2-3 days so that you know the glue is fully dried. That's it. Pretty easy, huh?

If you like my tutorials, be sure to check out this month's issue of The Artisan Notebook where I have an article on how to create your very own journal from scratch! It is easier then you might think!

The Artisan Notebook is having a PHOTO Contest

2009-03-01T20:58:00.001-04:00

We are having a photo contest and you MUST take part! There are some amazing prizes and it's going to be a fun ride! So please stop by, you never know, the winner could be YOU! Almost 1000 dollars in prizes!!!

Come see us!

A new kit in the store!

2009-02-23T13:09:00.001-04:00

It is called the Lure of the Atlantic and I simply heart it. :) It reminds me so much of summers spent lazing by bonfires, listening the waves crash and the light of the lighthouse. You can find it in the store here. My creative team has just done an amazing job of creating layouts with it. They are always making my jaw drop!

Amson

Ina

Pam

I have been scrapping!

For Mellisa Charity kit, Something Sweet and Sentimental from the Guild

Something Sweet and Sentimental from the Guild

My new kit Lure of the Atlantic

For Mellisa and Something Sweet and Sentimental

Some of my 365 photos!

Day 47

The oh so delicious Cottage Cheese Pancakes by Tosca Reno. I made them for breakfast this day with a LOT of hesitation because I really do not like cottage cheese but they were FABULOUS! I actually made them for breakfast again today. They are in her book, The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook. Sean and Jennifer also LOVED them.

Day 48

I wanted salmon and veggies. Sean wanted a sandwich. So I baked some salmon, made sandwiches with it and cooked some veggies. It was a great lunch. I have been taking a lot of photos of food lately...

Day 49

It was my niece Emma's birthday party on the weekend. My niece Deliah looked SO cute in her little pink outfit that I just had to share! Here she is bowling.

My niece Emma, so proud! Here she is playing with the puzzle I gave her. When she visits my parents and I am there, she makes me do puzzles with her for hours so I thought she would like a new one.

Day 50

My mother and my brother were fighting at Tim's yesterday morning. This is my mom getting after him.

Her concerned, yet angry face.

Mark immediately reverts back into his childhood sulky "Mom is yelling at me" mode.

And of course Dad and I were lots of help. This is Dad through the whole conversation. It was like watching a tennis match going back and forth between the two of them.

And I was the one snapping away at everyone. lol Dad promises that he will save me a seat on the bus. ;)

It feels good to be home...

2009-02-18T14:33:00.001-04:00

No, no, I havent been away. Not really. Yesterday the newly renovated Tim Horton's reopened and we went there this morning for our morning coffee. Even though the entire store is completely different in decor, the warmth and faces were familiar. It was closed for four weeks. Four LONG weeks where we had no morning coffee, no Sunday coffee at our usual store, no bumping into the friendly faces we become used to seeing and you know something else? I realized today when I walked in that I had not talked to my grandfather in four weeks! Apparently other people missed him as well because he was surrounded by friends. I barely managed to squeak in a hello. His face lit up when he saw me, he must have missed me too. :) I couldnt snap a photo of him because there were too many people around him. He has a tendency to duck behind people when he sees the camera coming out of the bag.

Before (Day 14)

After (Day 46)

There is another section behind where we were sitting but it was full so I couldnt sit back to take the picture. I like the light in Tim's. With all the windows you get nice light. :) Doesnt Sean look HAPPY? He just got off of backshift and I made him take me for a tea. I am a horrible girlfriend but he loves me anyway. ;)

This is my grandfather. I took this picture at this Tim's a few years ago when I threatened to follow him with the camera all day until he let me take a photo. He let me take one, this is it. See, great light.

Last night we tried Tofu Chocolate Mousse. Not a fan. Normally when we try something new at least ONE of us likes it. Unfortunately, it was THREE thumbs down for our house. lol I am not giving up on the tofu yet though. I still have some in the fridge and am going to attempt to make something with it tonight as well. They say it takes ten tries before you like something...we shall see. You can see how pleased Sean was with it. lol

Day 45

I really enjoy my new found spirit of adventure with food. I am normally in the mind set of a five year, stomping my feet and pouting when someone suggests a new food. Sean is also quite impressed with me. He is ALWAYS up for trying new things. We have turned it into a game with Connor so he is more willing as well. I am rambling way too much...

25 Random Things About Me

2009-02-17T15:01:00.001-04:00

Sometimes when everyone else is in bed I take showers in the dark. I find is extremely relaxing.

I never tried cauliflower until I was 21.

I have worn glasses for 14 yrs, half my life, but have never tried contacts.

Labour with Connor last 21 hours and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I tried Sushi for the first time last night. It was alright. Tasted surprisingly like rice, carrots and fish. ;) Did NOT like the pink thing there.

Day 44

I get along best with my eldest brother even though he lives the farthest away. May be thats the key? ;)

I think I am okay at a lot of things but wish I was brilliant at one thing.

I have small obsessions that take over my life at any given time. It could be scrapbooking, reading, buying cooking magazines, crocheting, exercise, etc..

I touched a man in public one day, because his sweater just looked oh so soft, much to the dismay of my friend who was with me. I love to touch soft materials. I have passed this onto Connor who refuses to leave the fabric store without buying a piece of fleece.

If I had to chose three people to spend a lifetime with on a deserted island I would chose Connor, Sean and my father. I never tire of spending time with any of them.

Out of all of the foods I have had to give up, I miss Tim Horton's chocolate chip muffins the most. I have not had one since the beginning of October. *sigh* The only thing I can eat there now is the yogurt.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult was the first book to ever make me cry, more like sob, out loud.

There is a yellow gown in the mall that looks just like Belle's and I want to buy it and wear it on my wedding day. I wont, but I want too. She is my favourite princess. She meant something to me because she read, stood up for what she believed in and because she was a brunette like me.

I just found a splinter in my finger.

Watching people draw has always fascinated me. When I was a little girl I would sit for hours at the picnic table in our yard watching my brother draw. Now I spend hours watching Sean draw. Sometimes I give him ideas for his cartoons. He usually just smiles and nods and then does something else. This day he listened to me. See how he wrote 'Thanks Hon' in the corner there under his signature? Thats me. I am Hon. ;)

I know the words to way to many Conway Twitty songs.

The great majority of smokers drive me bonkers. Cigarettes make you smell, they rot your teeth and give you cancer. It doesnt matter if you smoke with filters, lights, or occasionally, its ALL bad for you and everyone around you. Oh and cigarette butts are litter. Those filters are made of materials that do not break down. It's so gross.

When I was a little girl I would wake up early on Sunday morning so I could lay on the couch with my father while he watched old John Wayne movies. I never really enjoyed the westerns, I just enjoyed the time with him. In a house of six, it was hard to get alone time.

I do not like red pepper. I TRY to eat it but I really do not like it.

I love the little freckle that is on the bottom of Connor's foot. It is all by itself and just so darn irrestible, I have to kiss it.

When people recommend a product to me, I generally buy it myself. Some recommendations that I loved are Mr. Clean Magic Erasers (Courtney, I think), Just A Drop (Andrea), UHU glue line (Sean), Nivea (Doctor at the hospital one night) and Scrubbing Bubbles (Mom).

I love Etsy. I could browse for hours.

When we were teens my guy friends would try coming up with pick up lines to out do each other. My fave was by Chris who said, Are you champagne? Because you make me feel all bubbly inside. Its cute and sweet.

I would never want to live anywhere else. I would love to travel some day but this will always be my home.

I have the cutest child in the world. No, seriously, I dont care what you other moms say, I do have the cutest child in the world. :)

Scrap Daily

Jenny Lee’s Trinkets

Pocketful of Sunshine!

Come Chat with us!

A little layout….

PUBLICATION CALLS!

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PUBLICATION CALL FOR APRIL!

Some recent layouts!

Merry Christmas!

A little Christmas Cheer!

A New Tree Skirt

PUBLICATION CALL for the Artisan Notebook!

Happy Holidays

Because it made me smile

How to make a Dollar Store Journal

How to make a Feather Headband!

Let’s just pretend

Baaaaaaad Blogger

Can you believe I scrapped?

Who would like a freebie?

Just a few photos…

Cake Bakin’

Digi Scrapping!

JULY IS HERE!

Away!

Every Day Woman

Would you like a cupcake?

Weekend Update

Pop Up Book

Little bout me…

How to: Make a Fabric Bookmark

Warning! Long post ahead! :) *Great offer too*

A few quick photos….

Connor is also addicted to YouTube!

It was the little green man that did it! *Picture Heavy*

You will say WOW every time!

My weekend in photos…

A Warm Day Means…

Digital Scrapbooking!

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

My First Fondant Cake!

Jungle Abs!

May Sketch Challenge!

Trash to Treasure

First Ever Scrap Page Game

How to: Felt Flower Hair Clips

Frugal Friday!

Speed Scrap!

OMG! OMG! OMG!

A Little Freebie for Ya!

BLOGS! BLOGS! BLOGS!!

NDISB’s April Blog Train!

The Dryer Escapade!

How To: Custom Checkerboard

Easter Weekend!

New Business Card Holder!

How to Make A Bunny Basket

It’s APRIL!

Easter Project in the Works!

Bad Blogger

What a FABULOUS Week!

Happy Birthday Dad!

SCORE!!!

Fun in the Kitchen

We may not be big, but we are small.

A Beautiful Mess

How To: Make your own pretty Thumbtacks

The Artisan Notebook is having a PHOTO Contest

A new kit in the store!

It feels good to be home...

25 Random Things About Me

Warning! Long post ahead! :) Great offer too

It was the little green man that did it! Picture Heavy