Wednesday, December 7, 2011

6 weeks!

Seriously? Has it been 6 weeks since my last post?!

(Here's where I insert the excuse that I've been soooo busy!) No, really, I have. Crazy busy to be exact. We packed and moved to the Kootenays  (that's in the Canadian Rockies for my international friends).

Did you know that moving, death, and divorce are the three most stressful things in life? I've been through all of them, and I can promise you that unless you can afford to hire a moving company to do all the packing and unpacking, and hire someone to find the right house for you...I would say that moving is the #1 most stressful thing in life...especially if you do it a few weeks before Christmas!

Ok, enough of self pity...I must tell you I just love it here. It is so peaceful, so beautiful, so quiet (until my 4 year old wakes up!). Never in a million years I would have thought that my dream of living in a tiny little town in the mountains would come true. 


And someone else is loving it too!


So we are slowly settling in, trying to find some normalcy, some peace among the chaos. And hopefully pretty soon I will be able to share some crafty projects with you. I am craving some crafty time so bad it's not even funny!

Have a wonderful evening!


Wednesday, October 26, 2011

A Halloween Treat

I haven't used my Cricut in so long, I'm afraid it's growing cobwebs! So I decided to bribe it back into life with a new cartridge. I'm only doing it to make the machine happy, trust me ;)



How can you resit that smile, seriously.

Anyway, what didn't make me happy was the shipping prices at  cricut.com: $24 for a $24.99 cartridge? I know it's Fedex, but we are in late October. The chances of seeing the delivery guy wearing those cute shorts are slim. So it's not worth the exorbitant price.


Thank heavens for Google (that seems to be actually working better now...as in, it actually finds what I'm looking for!). Lo and behold, US Amazon ships Cricut cartridges to Canada now...for $8!

Yes, it takes forever and a day to arrive, and the nosy customs people are going to delay it even more...but $8! And the cartridge itself cost me only $22. I am ecstatic! 

So this is what I bought! Teresa Collins' Chic & Scary!


I can't wait to start playing. Happy Halloween to me!











Friday, October 14, 2011

Et Cetera

I received a big box of goodies today, and I wanted to share with you guys. It's the new Bo Bunny Et Cetera collection!




The pictures don't do any justice, you must see this collection in person...and buy it! No, this is not paid advertisement, I genuinely love it! I can promise you won't be able to stop scrapping!



Monday, October 10, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving

 “Be thankful for what you have and you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” – Oprah Winfrey


Today I am thankful for...
- My beautiful, wonderful son.
- Having a compassionate, supportive and loving husband
- My cats
- My hands and feet to get me through the day
- Having vision and hearing
- The fresh food and clean water that I have access to
- Having a roof over my head
- The glorious colours of nature’s fall
- Living in Canada (Freedom)
- The obstacles I have been challenged with and the problems I have overcome
- Life, love, and laughter
- Sunday night roast beef dinner
- Good books
- Scrapbooking
- Fresh bread
- Waking up to the smell of fresh coffee
- Peace and quiet
- Bubble baths
- My pillow
- The promise of a new day

What are you thankful for?


Friday, October 7, 2011

Halloween Banner

I made a super quick and fun Halloween banner for the boy. Just because he seems to be a lot into ghosts this year...and because Nikki Sivils Boo-tiful collection is so cute!



Here's what I used to make the banner:




And the font "Bloody" from here. I also used Elmer's Jiggly Eyes, aren't they just cute?

What about you? Are you getting ready for Halloween?


Thursday, October 6, 2011

Here's to the Crazy Ones

I don't own an IPhone, I never have.

I have never operated an Apple computer, and I'm afraid I wouldn't know how.

I watch Pixar movies, but I long for the old fashioned hand-drawn ones.

And yet, the death of Steven Jobs breaks my heart.

It has nothing to do with technology, or multi-billion business deals, or the next animated super hero.

It's about a boy in his parents' garage.

A boy and a dream.

And the world would never be the same...




Here's to the Crazy Ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They're not fond of rules.
And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can quote them, disagree with them,
disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing that you can't do, is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They invent. They imagine. They heal.
They explore. They create. They inspire.
They push the human race forward.
Maybe they have to be crazy.
How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?
Or, sit in silence and hear a song that hasn't been written?
Or, gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?
We make tools for these kinds of people.
While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world,
are the ones who do.


Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Brave Girls

I love these girls. Seriously.



Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

A quiet weekend

We had a quiet weekend...except for a few sneezes!


The boy is recovering from a cold, and I am frantically fighting not to get one. So we spent a lot of time reading, watching movies, and drinking at least 100 cups of tea.


Sometimes a relaxing weekend at home is just what the doctor ordered! ;)



Thursday, September 29, 2011

Surreal Life

Today was one of those days...it started off at 5:30 am when the boy, coughing and sneezing, woke me up. I am a morning person but not a farmer...5:30 is way too early!



At around 7 am I decided to finally join the world of living things, and right after my first cup of coffee hell just broke loose. We made a deal on this house, and it looks like it's not gonna happen. And we need a place a.s.a.p. And we need a house in a town that has no houses available.

So saying that I'm stressed out would be an understatement...


And then...one of those surreal moments when everything stands still...and you wonder if this is really happening to you...



And you read that email very slowly, and you try to grab that cup of coffee but it's too heavy and your hands are too shaky...

So you go to the kitchen for some water. This time you are sure that you just imagined the whole thing. (I knew that eating canned tuna was a bad idea...does mercury poison cause hallucinations?)

And I go back to the computer and the email is still there. With the magazine logo. And I recognize the font, she emailed me before... And it's still saying...

THEY WANT AN INTERVIEW AND FEATURE MY WORK IN THEIR SPRING ISSUE!!!

(Yes. Caps intended.)

I feel so blessed. Shocked. Ecstatic. Terrified. Thrilled. Anxious. Grateful. Happier than a pig in poo.

It's time to bring out the good stuff tonight and calm myself down celebrate!


Thursday, September 22, 2011

Soul Restoration Tags

I am currently taking the most fantastic life-changing online course: Soul Restoration by Brave Girls Club.  I will tell you more about this class later on, but I want to show you some of the tags I made.



All made with my stash of Basic Grey. And to be honest...it's my first time making tags and I'm loving it!

I promise I'll show you some more in my next post, but my camomile tea is kicking in and I must go to bed. Have a wonderful night!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

My very first Christmas Card

It's September 14th and I am making Christmas Cards...it feels surreal in some way. Where did the year go? And on the other hand...are we done with 2011 yet? What in the world am I gonna get my husband for Christmas this year? Mmm turkey!
Anyhow...back to the Christmas cards!

For many years I just couldn't care less about the cards. A bit of a  "Bah! Humbug!", I know... Maybe because my mom died in December. Maybe because I used to let the stress of the season get to me. Maybe, maybe...



But I am in the process of making BIG changes right now. I'm not gonna get into pop psychology, or any metaphysical speculation (it's only 4 o'clock in the afternoon), but a change is needed. And baby steps are what lead to big changes.

So this year I am sending Christmas Cards. Not the Hallmark cutesy ones. Not the Endangered Elephants Foundation ones (not that there's anything wrong with it). But my very own handmade ones.
I met a few people over the past years that completely influenced my life. Some in person, some over the Internet. And I believe they are angels that blessed my life with their love and kindness. In the next few days I'll tell you more about these angels. For now, I'll just show you my very first handmade Christmas card:


I used my all time favourite Graphic 45 Christmas Past collection, Mod Podge, and some mistery golden cord from the Dollar Store ;)

Have a wonderful evening!


Saturday, August 27, 2011

I got published!

You can’t miss the new issue of Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine! First, it’s a fantastic issue! Halloween, Fall, millions of ideas and inspiration, fun tutorials…can you tell it’s my favourite magazine?


And second, my “September” page is on page 28! I am so happy!

It will be in the stores on September 1st!

Have a lovely weekend!



Sunday, August 7, 2011

Soul Restoration 1


I am so happy I’ve finally joined Soul Restoration 1!


So…you won’t be seeing a lot of my scrapbooking in the coming weeks. But if you want to see what I am up to, come over the Brave Girls Club and take a look. I promise it will be fun!

Have a lovely Sunday!

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Recipe Book

For many years I had my recipes scattered all over the house. Bookshelves, kitchen drawers, boxes, computer, CDs. Needless to say, I could never find what I was looking for.

So I decided to put my creativity to a good use and make a Recipe Book. Who knows, maybe it’ll sell on Amazon one day ;)


I used an oldie but goodie: Graphic 45 - Domestic Goddess collection. And a template from the uber talented Cathy Zielske for this hybrid page.

I’m off to work on the matching recipe for this sauce: Baked Ham! Yum!

Have a lovely Sunday!

Friday, July 22, 2011

CHA Wishlist

I know the Paper Craft Fairy is an avid reader of my blog…so here’s my wish list:

Graphic45 -An ABC Primer







Nikki Sivils - Gingerbread Land



Cosmo Cricket - Clementine






And My Mind’s Eye…I’d take their entire warehouse please ;)

Friday, July 15, 2011

This week I’ve been…

1- Enjoying the rain
2- Loving the lazy Summer days
3- Reading a badly written but amusing book


4- Eating fruits instead of cake



5- Learning Embracing my inner geek


6- Creating the 3rd page of my own Cookbook

7- Looking forward to watching



8- Did I mention the rain?



9- Planning some Me Time for the weekend


10- Feeling optimistic


What you’ve been doing…? ;)

Monday, June 20, 2011

MIA

I’ve been MIA from the scrapbook world for a while. See, that’s the problem with Summer. It makes you want to actually leave the house *gasp* and do outdoorsy things like going for a walk, taking pictures, picnics, sightseeing, and the list goes on.


And to take advantage of the gorgeous weather, I decided to improve my photography skills. Ok, that’s not true. I’ve decided to learn once and for all how to use the overpriced, it’ll make me look totally cool, I haven’t payed for it yet, DSLR camera.

I’m starting with the boring Depth of Field 101, yadda yadda, numbers, charts, more confusing numbers…

It’ll get better though…I hope! I need to find a fun tutorial before I go crazy, so if you guys have any suggestion please let me know!

If I have to lie, steal, cheat or download illegal files. As God is my witness, I’ll never shoot in auto mode again!


Have a wonderful Summer!

Sunday, May 15, 2011