Rants 'N Random Ramblings

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-25T23:41:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm writing this on my iPad while I sit in bed... Can't believe how long it's been since I have blogged! My iPad that was under my tree today that is! So awesome. Our kids had a great day, this year was the first year they asked other relatives for presents and got the "is that it" bug, I quickly tried to turn that attitude around and let them know they need to be thankful for anything they got! They both got the leap pad from leapfrog, as well as an x-box, along with all their other gifts, so they have lots to be happy about.

I also had my Forks trip back in August, it was so weird and surreal being there. I still haven't seen Breaking Dawn, hoping to go while on holidays here before it leaves theatres! The trip was a great experience though, saw the HOH Rainforest, visited the ocean at La Push Beach, had mushroom ravioli at Bella Italia (with two cokes) and stopped in Seattle on the way back. Got to see the space needle and the original Starbucks. Just wish we had more time, we cruised through it all pretty quickly.

Anyhoo, just signed on quickly as I didn't know if it would let me post from my new device, and wanted to wish everyone out in blog land a very merry Christmas and all the best in the new year!

I'm going to FOOOORRRKKS!!

2011-08-15T00:28:00.001-06:00

So in 6 days I will be going to Forks Washington, the setting for my all time favorite book, Twilight. I just finished reading it again for the umpteenth time lol. My friend and I started planning it last year and it's finally time for the trip! I'm pretty stoked. I already bought Chase his school supplies as by the time I get back there will be only three days left before he starts school. Grade one!! So happy that my dayhome costs will finally drop a teeny tiny bit. Bought Rayna's birthday gifts too, I'll just need to hit the dollar store to get her some balloons and party stuff but her birthday isn't until mid September so I still have time. I have been crafting up a storm too lately, I've fallen back in love with crochet and made a blanket for the camper, half a baby blanket (there wasn't enough yellow in the kit so I'm waiting on a ball of yarn to arrive in the mail) and some cute little flowers to spruce up the jar that holds all Rayna's ponies. I'll share photos and links when I'm on my computer, as apparently I can't upload photos from my phone to blogger! Anyhow, just a quick update, chat more when I have time!!

What I've been up to

2011-07-18T01:26:00.000-06:00

Wow, last year I was on here all the time and now...not so much LOL. So much has happened and so much has stayed the same. Chase finished Kindergarten and will be going to Grade 1 this year in September, I can't wait for that just for the reduced childcare costs (finally!). He just lost his second tooth, which reminds me that the tooth fairy needs to stop by his room on her way to bed... Rayna is still growing like a weed and talking more and more each day, she's so beautiful sometimes it just astounds me that she came from me. She's so cute and I'm loving how her personality is starting to show through. She's quite stubborn and opinionated at times, which I don't love but she probably gets that from me too. Work has been going well, my dept is under new management now and we'll be getting a new system (AGAIN!) in October, or at least that's the plan. There's been lots of changes, lots of staff turnover but things are going well and I'm happy there. We are going on our holidays next weekend too! Going to sunshiney Kelowna BC for a week to visit friends, we'll be camping in the mountains this weekend and next to break up the ride for the kids, which I think will be spectacular. I can't wait!! SO excited. Our weather here has been the shits as of late, we've had rain for two weeks straight and lots of nearby areas are flooded. It's so depressing! And then next month I'm also taking a week to go to....(insert drum roll here....) FOOOOORRRKSSS!! WOOO! Yup, a friend of mine asked me a while ago if I wanted to go on a road trip to Forks Washington (the setting for my all time favorite book Twilight) and I said yes so in August I'll be doing that. Had to get my passport but I did finally and I'm totally good to go! So happy that I actually get holidays this year, as usually we just go camping and stay close to home so this will be a welcome change. I also haven't been scrap booking as much as usual, I miss it and do want to get back to it but just haven't been finding the time. I've come to realize there is only so many hours in a day and I really have to work at deciding what I want to do with that time, especially those precious hours that are left to me after work and supper and the kids and all those pesky "life" tasks that get in the way of what I really want to be doing! Here is a sneak peak at what I have been doing (besides reading):

This one is based on the blanket I saw here, but I'm using the pattern I found here. The one on Attic 24's page just wasn't working for me, I don't know why. But the one I'm using is working fantastic and looks the same.

And this one is totally based on the blanket I saw here and she did a tutorial (which I found after I bought the discontinued pattern book on ebay!!) and the tutorial is here. SO super easy and I love it! I'm excited about the colors and can't wait to see how it will turn out! First time using cotton for an afghan too instead of the normal acrylic. Ahhh, the beginnings of something warm and cozy... :)

So I will leave you with that for now, I'm sure it's going to be a busy week of packing the camper and getting things ready to go for the weekend. And judging from my posting history this year I probably won't post again until sometime in at least September!! I really need to see if I can update my blog from my phone, as I hardly ever go on the computer anymore other than to watch old episodes of Fringe online, or to download a new kit!! LOL. Take care, happy crafting and I'll try to update soon :)

I swallowed my tooth!

2011-05-08T23:00:00.008-06:00

So I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it's again been months since I last posted, but whatever, who cares, there is nothing that says I have to blog every detail of every day! I don't know why I feel like having a blog would mean that I have to post frequently! Anyways, we just passed a small milestone in Chase's life, he lost his first tooth today. He turns 6 in three weeks, and his tooth has been loose for a couple months now, and today he bit into cantaloupe at mother's day brunch, and he thought he had a seed stuck in his tooth and he was starting to get very agitated about it and was digging around in his mouth and his Dad looked in there and said it was his tooth ready to fall out! He sort of freaked out a little and started to cry so I took him to the washroom so he could take a look at it and I explained that he's getting new big boy teeth underneath and that now when his tooth falls out the tooth fairy will come get his tooth and give him money for it, so he was ok after that. He worked it all day with his tongue and we had a full, very active day. I gave an old bench chair new life with a great coat of paint and the kids played outside all day, and he was pretty pooped out by supper. He was scared to eat anything because of his tooth so had cheerios for supper LOL. He fell asleep on the couch watching TV and I woke him up at bath time so he could go get washed up, he had paint in his hair and was dirty from being outside, but he didn't want to, so I bribed him with an ice cream treat to get in the tub and he agreed. After he got out he of course came to collect his payment for getting in the tub, and told me he wanted a cone instead of ice cream in a dish, so I gave him an ice cream cone, and after he was done I told him to go brush his teeth being careful of his loose one so he didn't hurt it, and the next thing I know he comes rushing down the stairs crying, "NOOOO!" with his lips pulled open. His tooth was gone and he was crying, "Now I have nothing to give to the tooth fairy!". He looked under the table, but I'm pretty sure he swallowed it, what with the combination of the cold ice cream and the crunchy cone, he never noticed when it fell out, and I didn't even think about that happening before I gave it to him. I felt so bad!! So we wrote a note to the tooth fairy explaining what happened and drew a picture of his tooth, and he signed it. He tucked it under his pillow, and I told him that way she would still know he had lost his tooth, so I'm pretty sure she'll come take the note tonight! Poor guy! I scrapped a page to commemorate the event too (of course):

Credits: fonts: juice ITC, dupree, idolwild
template: Sara Gleason
kit: Toof Fairy by GSCreations & KimB’s Designs

Luckily I had taken photos of his tooth all cockeyed in his mouth this morning, and got one last photo of his smile before his tooth fell out.

And if you're interested here are a couple photos of my gorgeous re-painted chair (it actually has no legs) and my hubby found it and set it here in my garden and I thought it was the perfect spot, on the south wall of the house and I can sit there and sun myself and watch the kids play in the yard. All it needed was this beautiful color :)

My rhubarb is going crazy already! I better dig out my standby recipes to start using it up! Here is another photo beside an identical bench, gives you a good idea of before and after, as my hubs is still in the process of sanding the other one.
That's what I did with my mothers day! Hope all of you got spoiled as well! That's it for now, I'll post when I have the time and something to say, TTFN :)

I scrapped!!

2011-02-07T22:42:00.005-07:00

Wow, I can't believe that it has been MONTHS since I've posted! Good thing I know all of you are not sitting around hanging on my last word! It seems like so much has changed and yet nothing has. Chase started kindergarten last September, can't remember if I mentioned that or not, he's been doing well, although he's still a little cling-on when I try to leave in the morning. His homework is another story altogether as well, but we've been working on it. He had a sleepover with a friend this weekend at our house and they played exceptionally well together, save the fact that Rayna was the dreaded "annoying little sister" and let me tell you, she sure played her part. Every time Chase's friend came near her, Rayna hit her, and Chase and his friend spent most of the time telling her to go away, so sad to say she spent a lot of time watching her new favorite movie Beauty and the Beast. Seriously, she's watched it so many times I have it memorized! I've tried to get her on to something else but she just loves it so much, she won't watch anything else. Rayna has also been doing fine at the day home, we had a little scare at the beginning of the month and thought she had broken her arm, when I picked her up on the Friday she wouldn't use her right arm at all. She wasn't crying about it at all but she wouldn't use it so we took her to emergency and they did x-rays and said she was fine, but a few days later our family doctor called to say they thought she had a break and needed a cast, so back we went and they did more x-rays and it turns out all is fine. She's back to normal now, one of the kids at the day home sat on her so I think she just strained it and it was pretty tender for a couple days. She's pretty tough, so for her to not be using it we knew something was off. She's very much in "no me help" mode lately, everything is her way or the highway. Oh I wish I could skip past the two's and three's!! She is miserable to get out of bed in the mornings (don't have any idea where she gets that from!!) but for what she gives out in attitude she makes up for in cuteness, and she knows it! And myself, well I've been doing well, work has calmed down a bit with the new system (only for them to inform us we're getting a new one in a couple months-AGAIN!). It was pretty crazy before Christmas but this month has been warmer and that affects our fuel sales so it hasn't been so nutzo. I spend a lot of time on my iPhone, which I got back in November or somewhere in there. I absolutely love it, and use it for everything, from checking the weather and counting my weight watcher points to playing games and remembering birthdays. It annoys my husband so bad that I bring it to bed every night to read!! Probably why I never seem to turn on my computer anymore, as most stuff I can do from my phone now and it just seems so much easier! I bought a treadmill for Christmas and have been trying to fit some exercise in as well, but it's not as often as I'd like. Work in progress I suppose. I still need to de-clutter my house, and my word for 2011 is LESS. Less clutter, less stuff, less spending, less debt, less stress, less busy, just LESS everything! I seriously need to reorganize several areas of my life so I can get back to the things that really matter. I should get going to bed, a hot bath and my bed were calling my name a couple hours ago, and then I ended up scrapping instead! Here is my layout if you want to see it, I haven't done one since October. Seriously?! I did it for the Designer Spotlight challenge over at Oscraps, I used the kit "Dialogue" by Paislee Press and One Little Bird Designs, and the template I used is by Paislee as well and is a freebie there right now too. Enjoy the rest of your week, and maybe I'll pop on more often than once every 4 months, but hey, no promises!!

2010-10-25T19:41:00.004-06:00

Wow, it's been several weeks since I updated last! I cut down on my CT duties so now I have way more free time to spend with my family, and I find I'm not on the computer nearly as much at all since I'm not checking forums every day! I didn't turn my laptop on all weekend! I did however have time to play with a kit from Dream Big Designs. I used to be on her CT and Cheri graciously still lets me guest CT from time to time. Her newest kit called Pandemic is AWESOME! I love the colors, the papers and the fantastic mix of elements! I had so much fun playing with this one. Check it out:
And here is my layout, no template required!! We just went out chicken hunting and I thought this kit was perfect for these photos! I love the googly eyed skull lol.It feels like I've been so busy and yet still seem to have nothing done! I honestly don't know where my time goes. The kids are gearing up for Halloween this coming weekend, Chase is especially excited. Then it started snowing on Saturday, and he was asking me if that means that Santa is coming, and I told him not just yet. Too funny. It would be nice if it would just snow right before Christmas though, instead of the 8 months we seem to get! I'm not very chatty tonight, so I'll just sign off, but I do have to tell you that Paislee Press is having a kit giveaway on her blog here, although the less of you that enter, the better MY chances!! LOL Thanks for visiting, have a great week!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-10-11T23:32:00.005-06:00

Well, to all my Canadian friends anyways! Today is thanksgiving day here, so I enjoyed a day off work. We had dinner at my in-laws on Saturday night, dinner at my parents last night, and tacos tonight here at home!! LOL. The weekend went by in a blur, but we did some great visiting with family and the kids had a blast playing games and hanging out with their cousins. I smashed my fingernail Saturday night and it's turned a lovely shade of violet at the tip, and still hurts! It bent back and it was agonizing. Blair had no sympathy. I also sold my 30gallon fish tank over the weekend, so I cleaned it for the last time today and my cousin came and picked it up. Chase was a little distraught that I was giving away "his best friends" so I told him we could get goldfish instead, a little easier to maintain, and I got myself a Siamese fighting fish for my office at the same time. Then I decided I better get to my CT duties and get these two layouts done for Mel's newest kits, first up is Wanderlust, a collab kit with Vicki:
My layout (no template!!)Mel's second kit is a grab bag, with lots of cute lil goodies, only available for October! November the grab bat will be split up and the pieces sold separately. Check out the Mystery Bag:
My layout, template by Angie Kovacs: Well I suppose that's it. Back to work tomorrow, blahhhh. I usually hate Mondays, but now I hate Tuesday's disguised as Mondays. Hope all my Canadian friends had a great Thanksgiving! I asked Chase what he was thankful for today and at first he said "nothing" but then as I explained what Thanksgiving was all about, he said he was thankful for our kitty, his playhouse, and his Daddy. He added Rayna and I after lol. Too cute. Have a good week!

October already?!

2010-10-02T23:56:00.003-06:00

Wow, this year has just flown by, it seems like not that long ago that I went back to work, and that was eight months ago in February! So much has changed and yet it seems like everything is still the same too. I've actually started thinking about starting my Christmas shopping, and getting that under control so I'm not hit at crunch time in December! I need to get outside and clean up the yard, pull my plants and put all my pots away. Halloween is quickly approaching and we bought the kids their costumes today. Speaking of fall, I have a new collab kit to show you from the girls at Scrap That Idea. It's called Mystic Falls:Here is my layout, I honestly have to say I felt no mojo happening with this one. I don't know why, I think my brain was just not where I needed it to be! The template I used was a freebie from Fei Fei's stuff.
Mel also has a new kit out this week called A Shabby Cake Day:I used it to do a layout of Rayna's birthday party, two weeks ago she turned two so this was perfect timing! She loves all things Dora (and Mickey Mouse too lately) so we had a Dora party for her. Template by Janet Phillips.That's it for now, make sure you go check out all the girls at Scrap That Idea, as they do have a new designer now as Sara has hung up her designing hat, and there are always new kits to view, as well as lots of inspiration in the gallery! Lots of challenges happening too, so don't miss out! I'm off to bed, my kids have been early risers lately, and I'm sure tomorrow won't be any different. Have a good week!

2010-09-26T18:19:00.004-06:00

Hello everyone, how are you? I'm feeling much better, although I did wake up today with a smashing headache and am still a little tired, but I'm always tired! Such is the life of a mom I think...anyhoo, I almost missed this kit completely! Here is Mel's new kit for this week, Honey Bear, and it is so cute!It comes with a matching wordart, which I just love:

And here is my layout, Rayna with her grandpa, he has such a soft spot for her, and vice versa, she will always run to him for hugs. I love it. I used a freebie template by Paislee Press.

I'm pretty boring these days, I don't have too much on the go although some days it seems like I still don't have enough time to do everything I want to do. I have a new coworker at work and I'm still getting used to that, and my sister and I joined water aerobics and start tomorrow night, so that should be fun. I hope! I'm so tired right now I don't think I can keep my eyes open any longer, so I think I'll close off, have a good week, ttyl :)

2010-09-25T22:25:00.004-06:00

There is a giveaway for the newest kit by Kitty Designs, go here to enter. (Or don't as then I have better chances for winning!)

Zodiac

2010-09-21T21:47:00.004-06:00

I don't feel all that well. I am getting a huge head cold, and since I'm sure no one wants to hear about my crappy day at work, how tired I am and how crabby my kids were tonight, I'll tell you about Vicki's newest kit called Zodiac! I love all the elements in this kit and really wanted to do a layout with it. I googled my sign so I could add in a lot of the characteristics of my sign. Here is the kit preview, although to see all the goodies that come in this one you should really check it out in the store!!I used a template by Crystal Livesay and Fizzy Pop. I played with my photo on a website but it was long enough ago that I can't remember which website...my brain is mush!
Alright, that is all I have for today. I need to go to bed so I can rest and give my body a boost for tomorrow. It really should be Friday tomorrow instead of only Wednesday. I don't feel like working for another three days! Any hoo, have a good week, ttyl :)

My 2 year old?

2010-09-12T01:56:00.001-06:00

Wow, Rayna is turning 2 this week! I can't believe she is two years old already! She's turning into such a pretty little girl, with LOTS of attitude! She has recently discovered Dora the Explorer on TV as well, everywhere I go she squeals and points if she sees anything Dora related, so I decided that can be her birthday theme. Here is the birthday invite I did for her:

Credit: Papers from Flutterby by Creashens, most elements from Girly Birthday Party by Kathy Winters Designs, glitter from Pixieland by Lliella, frame by Paislee Press, template by Angie Kovacs, Dora, Boots and Swiper from the internet. I also had time to do a layout this week with a non CT kit (although Iwould love to be on her CT!!), I used Kristin Aagard's new kit Peas in a Pod, it's a pregnancy kit, but I saw those peas and just had to have it!! Although I tend to buy all her kits regardless lol. I used a freebie template by ChrissyW.Ok, here are my CT kits and layouts for the week, first up is Mel's new kit, it's so sweet it'll make your teeth ache! Aren't those elephants too cute? Check out Just Love Me:

And my layout, template by Kitty Designs, word art by Iowan. Haha, I just realized I used the same photo for both layouts! I really like this new photo of them together! And you saw a sneaky peek of this kit earlier in the week, here is Stacey's Fang or Fur, a Twilight inspired kit:

My first layout, I started off with a template but in the end had deleted everything that was on it and now I can't remember which one I used to get started :(

This is my new obsession, True Blood, it's a vampire series on HBO, and I love it. It has a little too much nudity for my taste, but if you could take that out then this would be my favorite show! The elements in the kit also work really well for True Blood as well as Twilight. I made the blood drips by extracting one of the fangs, adding a color overlay and running an action by atomic cupcake. I love it!!Here is my second layout, Eclipse of course, and no template! Wooo, lookit me go!

That's it for now, the last thing I have for you is a video that made me laugh out loud, have a peek if you like.

Have a good week, I'm off to get some Dora cups, plates and other birthday paraphernalia!

Sneaky Peak

2010-09-08T22:21:00.000-06:00

Hey all, just wanted to let you know Stacey has a really cute kit coming out this weekend! It's a themed kit, and it has to do with one of my favorite things! Here is a sneaky peak, it will be available this weekend! So stay tuned :)

2010-09-04T23:50:00.002-06:00

Just a quick post to show off Vicki's new kit for the week, called Autumn for Kim:
The colors are perfect for this time of year, I know the leaves here will start turning very soon!! And here is my layout, template by Dido Designs.Photos of Rayna from last year, she has changed so much. Looking at her I wouldn't have thought so, but she is more a little girl now than before, not so babyish anymore. :(
Anyways, have a good week :)

2010-09-01T20:37:00.002-06:00

The new collab kit for September is here!! It's fantastic, check it out HERE. And of course, being the slacker that I am, I didn't do a layout with this one! I DID however do a layout with the freebie kit that you can get...that's right, FREEBIE kit that you can get when you spend $5 at the Scrap That Idea store. It's not available by itself until October 1st, so if you've been eyeing up other kits, go nab them and get this one for FREE!! It's just so much fun to say that. And THIS one I did do a layout with!

We ditched Rayna's soother this month, so I figured that was layout worthy. My daughter no longer has a soother and my son is starting Kindergarten, where does the time go??! Template by Fizzy Pop.
Also, there is a new monthly newsletter that will be posted on the STI blog with all kinds of news and even some goodies, check that out HERE to get all the new info and the freebie!

2010-08-31T20:35:00.002-06:00

I want to see this. I wish it was playing right now. Found it while you-tubing Natasha Bedingfield's song Strip Me, which is the theme song for the movie. This is the mood I'm in and I really want to see this!

Also, check out the Paislee Press blog, she's one of my new favorite designers and I love seeing the layouts her CT does with her kits, she's hosting a giveaway for her newest kit, but hurry as she's picking the winner tomorrow!

2010-08-30T19:32:00.004-06:00

Bah. I've been feeling a little off lately. I don't know what I'm lacking but sometimes I feel like something is missing. Wonderful husband, check. Two smart, fun, energetic kids, check. A home of our home, pets, a well paying job, check check and double check. I don't know what it is that I'm feeling but I suppose some days I feel dissatisfied. I feel like I'm searching for something but don't know what. Such a strange feeling. Chase starts kindergarten this Thursday, and that is something that is totally weird too. My baby is going to school! Rayna will still go to the dayhome on her own on the two days Chase will be going to school. I have to pack him a lunch! And for the first time ever had to go buy school supplies. Rayna is turning two in a couple weeks as well, so I have a little party to plan. She has recently discovered and fallen totally in love with Dora, so I think her party theme has been chosen and I didn't have to do it! Work has been going ok, Rhonda, the lady that trained me and has worked with me closely for the last 6 months just quit, her last day was Friday, her family is being relocated to the States for work. I'll miss her a lot as she was a tonne of fun to work with and kept things flowing. I'm feeling a little like I'm all on my own there as I don't really have a supervisor to go to when I have questions, so while I have a lot of freedom it gets wearing sometimes too, only relying on myself to do things properly and take responsibility. Tomorrow night my hubby and I are taking a night to go out for dinner and a movie, and I think I could really use it. I want to reconnect with him too, and I guess maybe that's what I've been feeling lately, is disconnected. I'm going through the motions but am not feeling anything about any of it. What's wrong with me???! Bah. Here is a little song by Natasha Bedingfield that sounds like how I feel lately:
Anyhoo, here are the new kits for this week, first up is Sara's kit Night Garden, I love this kit and think it's one of her best to date:

Here is my first layout, I used a template from Biograffiti, and love the simple clean style of these templates.This one was a little more clustered, I wanted to use everything in the kit!! Template by Crystal Livesay.And Mel has this coffee themed kit out this week called Good Morning:This template is again by Biograffiti, I just love the whole set! And anyone that knows me knows how much I love my Tim Hortons coffee, so this kit was made for me! I know this is a Canadian thing, but all you Americans don't know what you're missing! LOLThat's it for this week. I'm really looking forward to our dinner and a movie tomorrow night, we're going to The Keg for dinner (we have a gift card) and probably to The Expendables. I'd really rather see Vampires Suck, but Blair doesn't want to go see it :(

Here is a little preview clip of The Expendables if you haven't heard of it:

Have a good week everyone ♥

SALTY!!

2010-08-22T00:09:00.004-06:00

I know you guys have all seen the commercials about Salty, the Lipton Sidekicks mascot dude? Well there was a promotion (I think it was in Canada only but I'm not sure) for people to be able to get the actual "Salty" and Pepper shakers. I missed it of course, and by the time I heard about it and made it to the website, they were all sold out. SO I checked on trusty old ebay and lo and behold there were several for sale, so I paid more than they are worth to get them, but they arrived yesterday!! They are so cute, and I know they'll make me smile every time I use them. Every single time. Which makes them worth every penny. Here's a layout I did for Vicki's latest challenge using papers from Citrus Brights, Funky Retro and Friendship For Kim, Leaves from Color My World and Fllutterby Flowers (all by AWP Designs by Vicki of course!). I used a brush from Biograffiti for the border. It's kind of a scraplift of a layout I did using a template by Biograffiti.Aren't they the cutest things ever? A special thanks as well to the tomatoes from my garden for posing in the photo with Salty and Pepper. And just in case you haven't seen the videos, I'll leave you with this little bit of goodness to make you smile!!! Here's Salty in action:

2010-08-21T23:57:00.003-06:00

I've got two new kits for you! Vicki and Mel both released new kits, here is Vicki's new kit called Stars for Sara, I just love the colors in this one, so rich!My layout, template by Sara Gleason:And Mel's oh so cute kit, Mermaids, all those cute elements made it hard not to use them all! Love the King Triton!And here is my layout, template freebie from the Hawt Mama's blog:

That's it for tonight! TTYL :)

2010-08-16T23:39:00.004-06:00

Wow, I totally forgot to blog Mel's new kit for last week, and here she is already with another one!! Just a quick post tonight to show you Melly's two newest kits, which are both fantastic, the first is called Silly Old Bear:
My layout, template from Simple Scrapper:And the second is called The Simple Life:My layout, template from the Hawt Mama's blog:I don't know if that link is the right freebie link, but there are templates there up for grabs! That's it for now, I hear my pillow abd blankets calling sweet nothings to me!! TTYL :)

Just for fun

2010-08-09T22:34:00.005-06:00

This is now, right at this moment, my all time favorite song. But only for the moment, I'll play it over and over again on the way to work every morning for the next few weeks until I get a little tired of it, it'll drop into the music list a little lower on the menu, and a new fun song will take it's place, but until then, right now, in this moment, it's my fave. It's Flo Rida, a song from the new Step Up 3D movie, check it out (and if you want to dance a little, it's ok, go ahead, I won't tell anyone!)

Our new kitty

2010-08-08T20:58:00.006-06:00

Well, we recently got a new kitty. I hadn't planned on getting one. I really didn't. Chase has a little girl friend (she's the daughter of a friend of mine that I went to school with) and he went for a sleep over at Paige's house. Lo and behold, their cat had just had kittens a few weeks prior. Five little mewling cute little balls of fur came purring and snuggling and tumbling over. I thought about getting one. After all, Bud has been gone over a year now. I didn't know if we were ready or not. If I was ready or not. If my house was ready or not. Did I want to scoop a litter box again, and try to keep the cat from climbing the curtains, clawing the stairs, and eating my plants? (Something Bud used to do quite regularly, usually right before he barfed it all up-always on the carpet, never on the lino!). And so I had a moment of weakness, and said yes, we would take one home in a few weeks. A few weeks went by, and it was time to pick up the kitty. I had chosen one that was a girl. She was very pretty, dark brown tips on her ears, nose, feet and tail. I went and picked her up, brought her home, and the kids were enthralled with her for the whole weekend. Chase slept with her on the couch most of Saturday, and Rayna just loved picking her up and packing her around. We named her Beans, as she's the color of coffee and cream, and I love coffee! Then on Sunday, Beans was laying on the couch beside me, butt pointed at me, and I kind of thought she looked a little like a he. Turns out our sweet little girl kitten was actually a sweet little boy kitten. My friend asked me if I wanted to switch him out with another one the same coloring, but we're attached already, he really is the sweetest kitten, is awesome with the kids, tolerates them and all their abuses. He loves to play with our dog Keiko, and I was a little worried about that. I've busted him clawing the stairs, so I've had to re-direct him to his climbing house/scratching post. I also busted him climbing my curtains once or twice as well. I realized though, that as with Bud, even with all the bad behaviour, it's worth it. I've so missed having a cat around the house. So of course, I had to do a scrapbook layout about him, and Vicki is having a challenge, so here is the layout I did of our new kitty Beans, he was having a snooze on top of his climbing house, which I thought was pretty quirky and cute: I used a template by Fizzy Pop Designs and Vicki's kit Pompey Blues which is in the store for only $1.00!

If you're interested in entering the challenge, please check out this blog post, and get registered. The first challenge is already closed, but I'm sure you could start playing in challenge two! Have fun if you enter, can't wait to see your layouts! Have a great week :)

Vampires Suck

2010-08-06T20:52:00.006-06:00

I don't know if any of you have seen the preview for this Twilight spoof, but if you haven't, here it is; I'm such a Twilight fan (as I'm sure you know by now!) but I think this looks absolutely hilarious, and I can't wait to see it! For the full screen version on you tube, click HERE. I don't know why Blogger cuts it off all the time! Augh. **Edited to add, I figured it out, and I FIXED IT!! Take that Blogger!

2010-08-05T22:02:00.010-06:00

As usual, I'm short on time, I'm so exhausted tonight, I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday! Gonna do my quick post and then go to bed! So here are the new kits out for this week, and first of all Melly is back with a couple new kits that are awesome! Check these out, this one is called Savannah's Favorite Things:
My layout, freebie template by Steffi:Mel's second new kit is called Mother Earth, her mojo is back and better than ever!My layout, Rayna helping dig potatoes, so cute! Template by Kelley Mickus.And last of all but definitely not least, the August collab kit, I just love this one, it's gorgeous! I love all the teal and orange together, this one is called Fairytale Summer:Here is my layout, my soother baby, we sooo need to ditch that pretty soon! Template by Sara Gleason.That's it, have a good week everyone!

CT, and things you shouldn't do with Rob Pattinson's face

2010-07-26T22:06:00.005-06:00

Just a quick little update to show you Vicki's new kit, called Friendship for Kim:And here is my layout, Rayna and her first powdered donut!! Template by aedesigns.
And since I'm not on the topic of anything Twilight related, I might as well throw this in here...anyone else find this mildly to highly disturbing?? I mean, WTH???Seriously, there are just some things you shouldn't do with Robert Pattinson's (AKA EDWARD'S) face!! And putting it on the body of some weird looking man angel is one of them. I won't even send out linky love for where I found this one, cuz it's just so wrong on so many levels!! Have a good week, ttyl. :)

Hopeless Twilightaholic

2010-07-21T22:35:00.004-06:00

Ok, so since I went and watched Eclipse, I've totally re-immersed myself in all things Cullen. So I decided to "Cullenize" myself, using a tutorial from this awesome website Gini's Magic, and here is what I came up with!
The first photo is straight out of the camera, no touchups at all, and I just followed the steps on the tutorial. So funny, I was staring at the pale me for so long that now I look at the normal one and I look tanned! I love doing fun stuff like this in photoshop. Also, I know it's going to be a long wait until the first Breaking Dawn movie comes out, but here is an awesome fan made trailer I found:

Ok, that's all I had to share today. Have a good week!

New kits, and ECLIPSE!!!!

2010-07-20T22:16:00.004-06:00

Although you may think that my scrapping layouts and Eclipse and my love for all things Twilight would never collide, you'd be wrong! First I'll show you the two new kits out this week, starting off for Vicki's new kit, Summer Party, and then Sara's new kit, and then you'll see how I can segway that nicely into my review of Eclipse... Here is the preview of the kit:

And my layout; template by aedesigns:

The journalling if you are unable to read it just basically talks about how everyone always says that Rayna looks so much like her Dad, and I came across this photo of myself the other day and there is a striking similarity in the photo between Rayna and myself at the same age. (Like my Bert doll from 1978?? LOL).

And here is Sara's great new western themed kit, called Howdy Cowboy:

and my layout; template by Sara Gleason, and photo by alicexz at deviant art.
Which as you can see will now lead me nicely into the fact that I went to Eclipse last week, and totally loved it! It was the best movie in the saga so far, and I can only hope they do as good a job with the Breaking Dawn movies. There were of course the few things they changed, as they seem to always do, they shuffle the conversation a little, such as Carlisle says something in the movie that Jasper actually said in the book, the characters and scene are switched up so that a conversation takes place somewhere different, but it was overall really close to the book. I even enjoyed the acting more, as in Twilight I didn't think it was fantastic, and Edward had stink face most of the time, trying to act tortured and all, but Eclipse was sooo much better. I actually want to go watch it again, and I probably will. Of the three girls I went with to the show, two of them had already seen it! So do yourself a favor, and if you haven't read the book, read it (or all of them!) and then go see this movie. Totally worth it. Here is a little sneaky peaky for you:

Anyways, I've been totally re-Cullenized, and I have since re-read Eclipse (right before I went to the show) and then Twilight (my favorite of all and that's where all the real love happens) and have re-watched Twilight (twice) and New Moon. Eclipse won't come to video fast enough for me! Have a great week everyone!!

Bahaha

2010-07-04T21:40:00.002-06:00

That last post was a great big huge one and I totally forgot to post about Stacey's kit release for this week!! It's a really cute camping kit, called Happy Campers:Template by Megan Turnidge:
I made the snow using a star brush and scattered it. Ok, have a great week this time for real!

Slacker

2010-07-04T21:06:00.008-06:00

Ok, I have kits from the last few weeks to show you, I really have been sucking at my CT blogging! So I'll get right to it and here they are, starting off with Mel's kit, Life's Great:I used a freebie template for this layout, but I can't tell by the name of the file who I got it from, so if you recognize it, I'm sorry for not being able to give you proper credit!Sara had a new kit a little while ago (I'm ashamed to say how long!) called Dreamweaver:I used template by tinytoesdesigns and photo frame by Amy Martin for this one.This colorful one is called Just for Kids, from Stacey:She also has a bundle with word art and clusters available:Template by Megan Turnidge (I love that photo of Rayna in the middle, she looks so crazy!).Stacey also released Always Remember (this gives you some clue as to how far back I am in posting my blog, as each designer has almost two kits I need to post!):Template by Janet Phillips as well as photos from the internet: This one is from Vicki, it is one of my favorites, called Doodle Happy:

This one I used a freebie template from Flergs and I love how my layout turned out! It really looks to me like Rayna is saying "stick 'em up!" Vicki's other kit I need to tell you about is called My Guy:
Template by Crystal Livesay: This one is a freebie kit that Vicki did for the World Cup challenge, called Sunshine, she may add it to her store at some time:
This one I did template free (just that in itself seems to be a challenge to me lately!). So I think that's finally it until next week! I have been toying with the idea of reducing my CT duties, and I hope to get back to more regular blogging as well as some more crafting and such. I've been really neglecting other areas of my life as I spend all my spare time scrapping! Thanks for checking out my layouts, and my blog, ttfn!

Happy Birthday CANADA!!!

2010-07-02T00:23:00.004-06:00

Hey, just wanted to say Happy Birthday to the country I was born and raised in, so Happy Birthday Canada! We had a great day today, I took the kids to the park and they got to play for a bit in the morning and then we went for lunch, and then headed downtown for the parade. Chase got a bag full of candy and Rayna got tired!! HA, she kind of got the short end of the stick. Then we came home and Chase invited his grandparents over for supper, so we had a really yummy salmon dinner and a nice visit, so it was a really nice day with my family.

I also wanted to let you all know about this sale:

So head on over to Scrap That Idea to grab those collab kits you've been eyeing up! I'll be back tomorrow with all the new kits I've been neglecting to tell you about from the last two weeks! Have a good one, yaaay for holiday Thursdays!

Balance

2010-06-07T21:26:00.003-06:00

So I have reduced some of my CT responsibilities as I don't have the time right now to be the proper CT member that I want to be! So Scrap that Idea is my only team now, the other ladies I was on CT's for were very understanding and I may guest for them from time to time, so I'm cool with that! I wish I could spend all my time scrapping, but have realized that sadly, I can't! I have so many other projects that require my time, I want to get back to some sewing and have a few quilts I want to make. I've gotten sucked into a new book series and I've been meaning to update my book blog as well, again, haven't had time, but I will! And between work, the kids and the yard and the whole summer season, balance has been elusive, but I'm sure this is a step in the right direction. SO! On to the new kits for this week...last week Stacey had Snips and Snails out for the boys, so here is Sugar and Spice for the girls! Here is the bundled kit, with some word art and QP's for only $5!! She also did some CU doodles with the kit, so if you're interested make sure you check them out too! And here is my layout, done with one of the templates in the pack that Sara released last week:Vicki released this fantastic kit this week called Imagination:

And I managed to squeeze out two layouts for this kit! I am seriously in love with this one! My first layout I used a quick and easy template from Three Paper Peonies, it's one I've used before and I'll probably use again, as I just love the simplicity!

My second layout I used a template by Julie Billingsley:

And this one is the June collab kit, called My Dad, just in time for all those fathers day layouts! And my layout, template by Kristin Rice:

Also make sure you check out the STI blog for the Soccer World Cup Promo, there will be lots of freebies and challenges and prizes, and it's promising to be a whole lot of fun! But you better hurry, they're only accepting registrations until this Wednesday, June 9th!

So, that's it for now, hope to see you in the forum for the challenges!

2010-05-30T22:30:00.005-06:00

Do blog posts really need a title? I can't think of one for this post and they all are about scrap booking usually with little eensy weensy life tidbits thrown in for good measure. I'm sooo tired! We did Chase's 5th birthday party this weekend, it was crazy but fun, and Chase loved it. We had a face painter come to the house and this woman has some serious talent! I'll post pictures later, there is one featured on my layout below, which leads nicely into the newest kits for this week; here is the layout I did with Stacey's new kit, which shows off Chase painted up as Spiderman at his party on the weekend (template by Janet Phillips):Here is the kit preview, it's called Snips and Snails:She has some word art and QP's available as well as an extra alpha bundled up for only $5!Sara has some awesome templates in the store, I had a chance to play with them today, here is the preview:And here is my layout, with my kids. I had a really good weekend with them and am sooo proud of the people they are becoming! My journalling was short and sweet, but reading it I'm sure you could take it the wrong way, it sounds like I just love myself, but what I meant was that when I look at them (some days!) I see a little bit of myself, and it feels great to be proud of them, and know that they are mine. ♥
I used one of Sara's older kits, called Happiness (which is no longer in the store, but maybe if you beg and plead she would re-release it?! It may have even only been a freebie on her blog and maybe was never in the store, I don't remember anymore!):So there you have it. This week may be really sucky for me, I really want to sleep! Chase had his friend Paige sleep over last night and they were up until past midnight! Little buggers kept talking..., it was so cute though, as they're laying on the bed in front of the tv watching Shrek 3, Chase turns to me and says, "Mom, I really like her" and I told him I did too. She's such a great friend for him and they play really well together. Then they were up at 7am, so Chase was really a treat today LOL. Then he had another birthday party today at 1pm, so I ran out and got a gift after Paige's mom picked her up, came home, grabbed Chase and went to the party, and when we got home, he was so miserable that we laid down and had a little nap. I'm hoping they're good tomorrow morning when I get them up, and I have to get to sleep so I'm not a crabby hag tomorrow! Working and getting up all week is going to suck, and I already can't wait until Saturday! So have yourselves a great week, then scrap it!! LOL :)

This Week...

2010-05-27T00:20:00.003-06:00

We went camping last weekend to kick off summer, May long weekend in Canada and all that, and it totally snowed! The kids still had fun, Chase spent a lot of time by the fire with Daddy, they made s'mores and tried fishing a couple times, and when they came back to the camper Mommy and Rayna were waiting with hot chocolate!
Stupid thing is, it was only raining when we left home (which isn't unusual for May long weekend, we thought it would just blow over!) and the next day we woke up to find it was snowing, and it continued all day long, the snow in the trees was so heavy it was falling off the branches onto the camper. Crazy. Then I came home and scrapped a little bit with the new kits for this week, first up is Dream a little dream by Mel:My layout (template by Jen Caputo):Next up is Stacey's last kit in the alphabet series, Z is for Zoo. (Don't be sad though, she already has some new kits in the works and they are fantastic! You can also get a deal on her other alphabet kits, so make sure to go grab them if you skipped any!)My layout (template by trixiescraps):Last but not least is Cherish by Vicki:When I saw this kit I knew instantly this was what I wanted to do with it! Chase has been having some behavioural difficulties at his day home (lots of throwing sand, toys and hitting!) so I gave his day home lady some stickers and once he gets ten, I told him I would take him to see Shrek 4, and so far he's doing OK, he's gotten 4 stickers. I wanted to make this chart for him to have at home to keep encouraging him to be good! Gives him a place for his stickers as well, and I made it 8 1/2" by 11" so I could just print it off here. The colors for this kit were perfect! And the plaid paper made me think of Shrek's pants!! So that's it for this week, by baby boy turns 5 this weekend and I have sooo much to do to get ready for his party. I don't know what I was thinking, but this will be his biggest birthday party to date, and there may be over twenty people crammed in my tiny little house!! Hopefully the weather cooperates better for this weekend than it did for our camping! Have a great week everyone!

This Week and a Freebie!!

2010-05-17T20:43:00.012-06:00

We are sooo going camping this weekend!! I absolutely cannot wait! While I love scrapping and all my computer time, it will be so nice to be unplugged for the weekend! Time to take the kids fishing, sit by the campfire (hopefully the bans are off!) and using our camper again, since we didn't use it last year. This will be Rayna's first time camping for real, as last year she wasn't walking and we didn't really go camping with her. It should be so much fun! But I can't let you just hang, here are the new kits from this week, as well as a couple catch up items for some of my other CT's:

First off, Cheri opened a new store!! Her designs are now available at Scrapable! And because I'm a sucky CT member these days, her sale is almost over, however if you hurry you can still catch it! Check out her new store HERE.

She also has a new collab kit out with Rebecca B, what a fun girly kit! It's called Girls Just Wanna have Fun (also one of my favorite songs!!):The little girls are so cute, and I so badly wanted to make a hybrid and print out some paper dolls for the kids to play with, the dresses and the shoes are so cute! My layout (template by JewelScraps):Cheri also released this beautiful kit called Blush:Here is my layout (no template, yay me! and word art by the fantabular Kathy Winters - to get the effect I duplicated the background paper layer, used the WA like a clipping mask and added a shadow).I also turned my layout into a QP (I'm really late in posting this so my apologies to Cheri!):

Click HERE to download.

Next up I need to show you the word art pack that is in the above layout and I mentioned in my last post, Kathy has this set up in her store, and I absolutely love it. I'm finding so many new ways to use word art, and have been playing with textures and special effects, here is her Memories Made word art pack:I also used this word art pack on the layout I did for Vicki's new kit, Boy's Club:My layout (template by jayedid designs) and word art by Kathy Winters of course! I recolored the word art and added some effects (don't ask me now which ones as I'll never remember!! I just play til I like the look of it and then save it!)I also did a second one using the alpha from the kit:Mel released this really fun, summery kit called Jive:My layout (template by Janet Phillips):Makes me wish summer was here full on already! Sara also has a kit out this week and I really love it, all if it! It's called Fresh Flowers:My layout (template by Crystal Livesay):

Stacey has a new one out as well (she's truly a scrapping MACHINE!! I seriously can't keep up!) This new one is called Y is for You Complete Me:And my layout (template by Three Paper Peonies):I always see these really simple layouts and love them, it's so hard not for me to put more elements on! SO there you have it. I hope now I'm all up to date! I probably won't be on here again before next week so have a great week and an even better weekend, may the sun shine wherever you are!!

New Stuffs

2010-05-10T21:49:00.009-06:00

I'm running short on time lately, with better weather here I've been spending more time outside with the kids, I also started Weight Watchers again (hopefully third time's a charm!) and meal planning and exercise has started to take a front seat instead of a back seat, and I seem to go to bed exhausted with no time to do anything other than cook supper, clean the kitchen and go to bed! So I'll keep it short as I do need to go fall into bed, here are the new kits this week from the girls at STI (hope you all made out like bandits at the NSD sale!), first up is the HUGE collab kit by all four designers called Funkytown:My layout (template by Designs by Jennamy82):Stacey released this one last week (as I said I've been pressed for time!) W is for Wild:Such a cute kit and I just love that little bull! Template by BTA Designs:This week she released X is X-Specially for Boys:And then I went right ahead and did a girl layout with it!! Template by Janet Phillips:Vicki has Happiness Is in the store for this week, I always love her color combos!I just love Rayna's expressions! I caught a good one in this layout (template by Julie Billingsley) and word art by Kathy Winters:I'll give you some linky love for Kathy Winters word art that I used but for some reason am unable to reach the site tonight...Tomorrow maybe??

Mel took a little slow down as she had some other stuff happening on her end (we all know how life has the tendency to get in the way of our scrapping!) and then she came back with this fantastic kit! The CT layouts blew me away, this kit is just gorgeous! Here is Exhale:

And here is my layout of Rayna playing her current favorite game (template by Armina)

So that's it, I think, I hope I didn't forget anything! I know Cheri has a new kit out and I am late as usual. These women are so talented and are just scrapping machines, I can't keep up. Something's gotta give!! Anyways, I hope to be on again tomorrow and add the new Word Art sets by Kathy and Cheri's new kit, so until then, nighty night!!

Seen this yet??

2010-05-08T01:00:00.001-06:00

Have you seen this trailer yet? I just found it tonight, and Eclipse is looking like it's going to be pretty good! Can't wait til June :)

International Scrapbook Day!!

2010-05-01T10:57:00.003-06:00

I'm at the Holiday Inn today for international scrapbook day, I have 12 hours to scrap to my hearts content! There are so many things going on in scrapland for ISD, I don't know how productive my day will be, but it's still time away from the family to focus on my scrapbooking!! I also wanted to let you know about a sale happening at Scrap that Idea, 50% off, so make sure you check that out! I'll be back hopefully tomorrow to let you know about all the new kits out this week! So happy ISD!!

And Finally...

2010-04-25T21:24:00.000-06:00

Here are all the new kits I have to tell you about, in no particular order!! First is Stacey's T is for Teenager kit: My layout:

And then she released U is for Urban Love:

And my layout (template by Cindy Schneider):
And Sara has released this kit, called My Heart:

My layout (template by Laurie from the Hawt Mama blog):
She also released, Blue Denim:

My layout (template by ChrissyW):
Mel released Lights, Camera, Action:

My layout (of course it would be Twilight related!!):

She also released this cool kit, called Alice:

My layout:
Vicki released her new kit Pretty Industrial:

My layout (template by Ninigoesdigi):She also has this freebie kit with Nathan, but I'm probably so late in telling you about it you may have missed parts of it, check Vickie's blog (click her blinkie in the sidebar) for this one!My layout (template by Steffi):Cheri at Dream Big Designs released this great outdoorsy kit, called Bears Gone Fishing (and because of her birthday sale, this kit is only $1.60 right now!!):

My layout (template by Steffi):My second layout:

So I'm going to try and be better about posting the new kits, this last week we had family visiting, and I was feeling really pressured to keep up with everything, so I decided to take a week off, and I didn't even turn my computer on!! (At least since Wednesday or so anyways!). It was nice to unplug for a little bit, but I do love scrapping, so I'm glad to nab the new kits and work on layouts to show you for next week! We had a few little milestones with the kids this week and I would love to get them scrapped! Have a great week, and hopefully I'll be able to post more often. I really want to finish the quilt I started for our camper before we take it out camping for May long weekend, and I'm reading a bit more again, and with time for the kids outside, and trying to get walks in so I can lose some weight...I guess I really need to learn to schedule my time better, and decide what my priorities are and just get stuff done!! I think I like to relax just a little too much lol. So ttfn!!

Freebie and Sale!!

2010-04-20T21:44:00.004-06:00

Hey guys, I have a whole swack of kits to tell you about, like two weeks worth, but am pressed for time right at the moment, which seems to be the theme of my life lately, and somethings gotta give!! I don't know if I can keep up to this all summer! I just wanted to make sure I let you know about this freebie over on Cheri's blog, (Dream Big Designs), it's her birthday bash this week, so make sure you head over there and grab this beautiful kit! It's only a freebie for this week, and then it goes to the store so grab it while you can!

I did a layout with this one as well, love this kit, it's so fantastic! Great freebie hey!! I also used a photo tab template by Jen Caputo.

Also, she's having a huge 60% off sale in honor of her birthday as well, so make sure you check out her stores here and here and nab any kits you have been eyeing up!!!

So happy birthday Cheri!! I hope to be back tomorrow to show you a bunch of new kits!! See you then!

Fairyhood Magic Purple

2010-04-06T22:09:00.004-06:00

So apparently I lied, well not exactly lied, but I DO have a layout done for Ptitesouris, I think this kit was out yesterday, and here is my layout:

The kit is called Fairyhood Magic Purple and it is just beautiful! Lots of flowery elements.

That's it for me for new kits this week I think, I hope to get back to my normal scrapping schedule starting tomorrow. I have two more kits for Ptitesouris to do, and then my guest CT spot is done. I'm kind of sad as I think she is a brilliant designer, but I'm sort of happy too, as she was putting out a kit a week, and I already have a hard time keeping up with what I have! When I signed up I was still staying at home, so the last two months have been pretty crazy with me going back to work and doing all my scrapping too. I really do love it so much that I don't want to give any of it up! Plus, I think her CT is so awesomely talented that anything I do paled in comparison! They are true scrap artists I think, the things they can do with her kits just amazes me.

Also, I saw Avatar last night, and here's the scoop: we get there and find out that it is no longer showing in the 3D theatre (part of the reason I wanted to see it in the theatre was because of the whole 3D thing) so I was a little disappointed there. We went anyways, and it was a good movie. I really had to go to the bathroom by the end of it (it was three hours after all, and we bought pop of course!) and I remember thinking at the one part with the bulldozer crashing through the trees, and Jake trying to smash at the cameras with a rock, that it really seemed to me to be like Fern Gully on steroids. Remember Fern Gully, the cartoon? Avatar really is like a real human/Na'vi take on the cartoon version. I don't know how original the idea behind it was, but the special effects were fabulous, and I can only imagine how cool it would have been in 3D. I feel like I really missed out there. The next one my hubs wants to go see is Clash of the Titans. I wouldn't mind going for the 3D thing, as the only 3D movie I've seen is UP, which was cool, but I'd love to see how it looks with a real movie. Plus, Sam Worthington? Nice. Anyways, that's it for today, back to work tomorrow. I'm lucky as Chase has speech therapy in the morning and my hubby said he'd take him for me, so I'm pretty happy about that. Saves me losing time off work, and he's on salary anyways :)

Have a great day!!

CT duties hehee

2010-04-05T19:07:00.006-06:00

Okay, here are the other kits I've been slacking on telling you about, the first is this awesome Springy-Easterish type of kit, called Spring's Renewal, and the cutest matching alpha ever!

My layouts (template by WMsquared):

(template by Gypsy Couture)
The second kit is a beautiful kit by Dream Big Designs, called A Child's Dream:

My layouts, (template by scrapvoyages):And check me out - no template!! Wooo!

That's it for now, I'm behind on doing up my kit for Ptitesouris, and now my stint on her CT is over (thank goodness, I can't keep up!!). Her kits are beautiful, so as soon as I get a layout done with her latest kit, I'll show you that one too! We're going to Avatar tonight and I'm so excited to see it, so there will be no scrapping tonight!

New Stuffs and some actual WORDS

2010-04-04T23:53:00.005-06:00

Well, hope everyone had a great weekend, sucks that the work week begins again for me in about 8 hours! We went out to the in laws for Easter dinner yesterday, and today was a catch up on sleep day, had a nice three hour nap this afternoon. I have been feeling so crappy for the last three weeks and it's really kicking the crap out of me. My ear has been ringing for the last week and a half, and cracking and popping for the last two days, I've been stuffy on and off and have been hacking and coughing throughout. I went to the doctor the other day but he says it's just a recurring virus (or different viruses) and gave me some antibiotics to take if I'm not better by next week. I'm so tired of being sick! Three weeks is a little excessive, but it does feel like it's starting to let up, so hopefully by the end of the week I'll be back to normal. I did up an Easter card using a new kit by Lliella, this kit was so frigging cute! I actually used the QP freebie on her blog and cropped it to 5X7, and added my title and our names and the date, but I love it and I bought the kit too!The kids are doing great, the dayhome they have been going to is awesome, it's the same one Chase was in before I had Rayna, and they both are doing well. Chase is doing lots of crafts and Rayna is doing her own thing I guess. She has good naps there in the afternoons, and comes home pooped anyways, so I think that's a good thing that she's played out! Work has been challenging, as I learned the system they were working on for three weeks and then they brought a new operating system in, and it really wasn't ready to go. For invoicing purposes, it has been a nightmare. None of the customer coding was right, the prices were all coming up wrong, and it has been a real learning curve for everyone in the entire company trying to just fix the errors so we could do our jobs properly. We were about two weeks behind all month and the other girl in invoicing and I have been working weekends to try and get caught up, last week I put in 51 hours! Plus coming home to the kids and scrapping. SO needless to say, my house is a wreck, and I'm pretty behind on everything in my home life! My next task will be to get our tax stuff in and done. I'm really looking forward to a scrapbooking weekend retreat that my sister has put together, a few of us girls are going to rent a hotel room for the weekend, and do some scrapbooking, maybe go to a movie or two, and just have some child-less fun! My husband told me I need to have the taxes done or I can't go, so you better believe that tax stuff will be the big project for this week! Other than that I'm pretty boring, I still need to update my book blog, which has been sadly ignored, and I have a baby blanket I need to get put together ASAP, as my sister in law had a baby girl two weeks ago, and there will be a shower and I won't be remotely close to being finished! Anyways, that's the latest chit chat, here are the new kits for the week from Scrap That Idea, I have some from Kathy Winters and Dream Big that I'll probably post tomorrow, I'm runnning out of time so tomorrow's post will be for them!! But in the meantime, check out the April collab kit called Step into Spring from STI:
And my layout (**template by the digichick blog):Vicki also has a new kit out, called Forever. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this kit, the papers are beautiful, and I'm so in love with my layout, it's one of my all time favorites. I also really love the alpha in this one:
my layout (**template by Anna, photo texture by Shadowhouse Creations)Stacey has a new kit out this week called S is for Spring, and she has a contest going on over on her blog, I think you have to guess what the "T" is for, for the next alphabet kit, so make sure and head over there for that! You could win the next kit if you guess right! She's also having a contest on her facebook fan page, all you have to do is become a fan, and you could win one of her kits! Check that out too :)

My layout:
And Mel has a new kit out this week too, I love the colors in this one, the black with all the bright ones is so pretty! It really catches my eye, and I love the textures on the black paper too. She has the Splatz full kit, and mini kit as well:

My layout (which uses bits from the mini as well) (**template by Kaiser):

You can view each page individually here and here for a closer look :)

Well that's all til tomorrow! Have a great week, and as always, happy scrapping!

Busy Busy Busy

2010-03-22T19:12:00.006-06:00

The last week has flown by, and the weekend as well. We are so far behind at work we think we're ahead!! I still managed to get some scrapping time in, a little bit every day, so I still have some new stuff to show you! Mel's new kit this week is so cute, called Fairies and Mushrooms.

My layout (*template by KLittleton):Also Ptitesouris has two new kits in the store, this one is called The Small World of Bees:

My layout (*template by scrapvoyages, photo textures by Pineapple Plantation and Shadowhouse Creations)

The second kit is called The Spring of Fairies:

My layout (*template by Kate, photo effects by Coffeeshop actions and Shadowhouse Creations):
I absolutely love this layout, I love how it turned out. It's one of my favorites! Anyways, sorry I don't have much to say lately, there has been stuff happening, but mostly I've been working like crazy and the evenings are spent with the kids and scrapping. One day I'll do a mega update post! Have a great week!

Eclipse Preview?!? WTH, where have I been??

2010-03-19T22:46:00.007-06:00

Ok, I have been working...alot! But seriously, I must have had my head in a hole to miss this:

I mean seriously, the Eclipse trailer is out, and I hadn't seen it til tonight? (To see the full screen version click here to see it on youtube.) Where have I been? Now I have proof that I've been working too hard lol. Anyhoo, I'm super excited to see the next instalment, but I can tell you already that the new Victoria will not measure up, and I don't know what was going on but I hate character changes like this, especially since Eclipse has more Victoria than the first two books combined!! I also hate knowing that Bella is wearing a wig, but I think it's pretty obvious as she had such beautiful hair, and you can totally tell that this is not her hair!! Oh well, I suppose Joan Jett must have been more important then Bella's hair. {blasphemy!!} I also really hope they didn't cut the tent scene, where Bella is in the sleeping bag with Jacob and Edward and Jacob have their little chat while Bella sleeps, that is my favorite scene in the whole book, and I have a feeling it won't be brought to life on the big screen. Ok, that said, on to business!

Scrap That Idea has some new kits out this week! A Work in Progress has this sweet kit called Sweet Tweet:

My layout:

Stacey's Scraps has is R is for Red and Kitty Revamped out:

My layout:

Hopefully you've been following along over on Mel's blog, as she has been releasing a part of a freebie kit called Grow every week, here is the layout that I did with it (*template by Peppermint Creative):

And Stacey has a great freebie kit as well over on her blog, called I'm not Irish but Kiss me Anyway! Go grab it while you can, here is the layout I did with that freebie (*template by Janet Phillips):

Thanks for looking, have a great week!

New kits!

2010-03-15T21:01:00.006-06:00

There are some great new kits out this week! Check out this bright Easter kit by Mel Hains Designs called Hop Along: My layout **template by Julie Billingsley:
And this lovely pastel kit by Sweet Blossom Designs called Easter Delight:

My layout **template by BTA designs:
Stacey also has this cool kit called Q is for Quality Time:
Stacey has some QP's available with this kit as well, so if you're interested make sure you check them out in the store! My layout **template by Vanessa Armstrong: Dream Big Designs also has a new kit out called Charity:

Here are my layouts **template by Crystal Livesay:

And no template for this one (yay me!!)

Sorry for the quick update, thanks for looking, happy scrapping!

Bad Bad CT member

2010-03-11T19:41:00.008-07:00

WOW, life is so busy! I have been a horrible CT member and haven't blogged any of the most recent new releases from the teams I am on! So little time for all this computer stuff that I love! SO I'll make it short and sweet and just jump right in on all the kits that I have to show you, first up is a kit that I requested of Stacey as I have the first photos of Rayna on the training potty, and seeing as how her next alphabet kit was for the letter "P" I thought P is for Potty Training would be a great kit, and I was right! (That was me tooting my own horn there if you missed it lol).

I feel so bad, I only managed to get one layout done, and I'm the one that requested the kit! Here's my layout, (**Template by Scrapmuss):

And Vicki has this great Boyfriend kit in the store, the colors are great for all your guy layouts!

My layout, (**template by KLewis):

Ptitesouris has been busy as well, and her kit La Maison des Lutins is out now, and is so gorgeous!My layout (and look at me go with the extraction and no template!! WOOO!) :Also she has this new wedding kit out called The Beautiful Day of My Life:

And before I show you my layout, I'm going to show you this wonderful Elegant Romance word art by Kathy Winters Designs, it can be used in so many ways, and I used it as a clipping mask for paper in this one, which I scrapped with the wedding kit:My layout (**template by Crystal Livesay) :

And last but not least is this awesome collab kit by Dream Big Designs and RebeccaB, called Let's Hear it for the Boys! It has so many elements, the options are truly endless, and it's great for all those guys layouts, or renos, so many uses, and I love all the tool elements!

My layouts (here I go again with no template!) :

(** template by NiniGoesDigi) I love those hexagon shapes! I thought it went so well with this kit!So that's it for the moment, in a couple days there will be a bunch more! Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Lil Update and New Stuffs!

2010-02-28T22:10:00.007-07:00

Wow, I have been so crazy busy this last week! I forgot how little time you actually have when you're working full time. Plus, we're getting a new system at work, so all the stuff I've been trying to cram into my already too full brain is going out the window and we're going to be doing things completely different! Tomorrow is going to be interesting that's for sure! It was also my mom's 59th birthday on Friday, so we went and visited and had cake. (which also means another evening/scrapping time gone!) Then I had to work today to get all the invoicing done from over the weekend so we don't carry any February invoicing into the new system which is going live tomorrow. Scary stuff! (Which also equals another day/scrapping time gone!) I still had a little laundry to do and thankfully my hubby took care of supper (it's always wieners and oven fries or macaroni when he looks after supper, but hey, I didn't have to do it!) and then he took care of the dishes too. I've been a little bit of a slacker in my CT duties this week and was on the verge of being behind! {gasp!} But alas, I've managed to hang in there, and I just want to share some of the new kits that are out this week! First up is Le Chateau Des Delices by Ptitesouris. She also has some quick pages available for this kit so make sure to check those out!

My layout, which was what I consider my very first true extraction layout:I thought it turned out pretty cute! Rayna climbing the ladder to the little pink castle in the sky...hehe. Next up is the awesome March collab kit from the Scrap That Idea girls, Live for Today:

The colors are just great, and there is a wicked assortment of papers and elements from all four ladies! My layout: (**template by Cindy Schneider from the One Love Collab for Haiti):

Then Stacey came up with this great kit, O is for Over the Rainbow, the elements are so unique in this kit there are so many options! She also has a brag book with this kit, so if you need a quick album make sure to check that out as well!My layout: (**template by iscrap from the new beginnings collab) I love it, and it's not very often that I do a layout on white paper!

Then there is this bright kit called Spice of Life by Vicki, her color combinations are always so awesome! She has a blog to go from this kit as well.

My layout: (**template by Janet Phillips)

And last but not least Sara has this great new boys kit out called Superstar, which would be fantastic for girl or boy layouts, or anything in between!I absolutely love this kit, the colors and elements and everything are so great! Here is my layout: (**template by cathja)I snapped these photos of Chase and I specifically to scrap with this kit! I also used a torn photo effect by LivEdesigns. I just love how my layout turned out. I so often scrap Rayna as I take more photos of her just due to her age and all the things she is starting to do, where as with Chase it seems to have levelled off a little bit! So that is it for now, I need to go make my kids breakfasts for tomorrow morning, finish off the laundry, let the dog in and feed her and then get to bed as I need to be sharp as a tack for tomorrow as I'll be fumbling my way around in the new system at work! Thanks for hanging out, and make sure you check out the designers blogs (click on their blinkies in my sidebar) as some of them probably have freebie add ons to some of these kits! And make sure to stay tuned as Cheri from Dream Big Digi has the best guys kit coming out tomorrow, it's a collab kit and let me tell you it's terrific! I had so much fun playing with it and haven't even come close to using all the elements I wanted to try out! Have a great week and I'll be yapping at you soon enough!

Just for fun, Twilight and some new stuffs

2010-02-22T23:18:00.008-07:00

Anyone want to see my new desktop wallpaper?? I knew you'd want to...I just love this photo, I'm not sure where I found it, but it is so Edward and Bella to me!! And I bought this cool kit from Flergs called Estranged, and it looks so perfect with this photo. I cropped it to the right dimensions and it's the wallpaper on my phone too!! lol. I'm such a Twilight nerd! I can't help it, and Eclipse is coming out June 20th, I think, which doesn't seem so far away now :)

Next up, Ptitesouris has a new collab kit in the store today called Our Fabulous Fate, and it is full of rich colors and elements, check it out!And I have a double whammy for you today as Kathy has a new word art pack out called Elegant Romance as well, and I used it in my layout too!

My layout:**template by Dunia, Our Fabulous Fate collab by Ptitesouris and Moi, Elegant Romance Word Art by Kathy Winters

I think the word art is very subtle in this one, as I actually used it like a clipping mask to cut it out of the paper circle. I ♥ it.

I feel like I'm so boring lately, I don't have too much to tell you. The kids are doing well at the day home except that Rayna now cries and arches her back and flops on the floor when I'm dropping them off at the day home in the morning, as she's figured out the whole drop off routine now. She stops as soon as someone picks her up, so she's fine. The first week they had a bit of an adjustment, but they're both enjoying it, and I know Chase is having tonnes of fun there and quite often doesn't want to come home. He's started asking me if I can take him to school too, so this fall will be exciting for him. Work is fine, although because of the sheer volume of paper that passes through my hands every day, my fingertips are so dry they are cracking, makes typing painful! I am having a heck of a time at the moment as I'm typing with band aids on, making lots of mistakes. I swear my backspace button is going to crap out on me one of these days! Other than that things are going well, everyone is happy (most of the time) and healthy (most of the time) and I finally feel like our life has returned to normal. Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

New kits!

2010-02-21T12:31:00.006-07:00

Hey all, what a busy week this has been! I've been trying to cram all the new information at work into my brain, and we get a new system on March 1st, so I'll be learning all over again! Crazy. The days seem to be flying by now, I can't believe March is just around the corner! I am so excited for spring, and can't wait for the snow to be gone completely. The sunshine makes me so happy. :)

So here are the new kits this week, Stacey has N is for Nature out, another one in her alphabet series. She has quick pages done up with this kit as well, if you need some pages done up in a snap!

My layout:

*template by Crystal Livesay

Mel has this beauty out, My Funny Valentine, I am just totally in love with the colors and the papers, so pretty. She also has quick pages already done, for quick and painless scrapping!My layouts:

*freebie template by Scrapping With Liz

*freebie template from Catscrap blog

And Vicki has some awesome blog wear out, so if you've always wanted a pretty blog but didn't have the time or the know how to design it, these are for you! She includes instructions on how to set it all up, and you'll be up and running in no time! Here are a couple of the ones she has out:
If you want to see one of these kits in action check out her test blog here, or this one here, or even this one here!! Just gives you an idea what it looks like all set up. Anyways, I have lots of other things that require my attention right now (aka, more kits to scrap with after I have a shower and a coffee!) so I'll end this post for now. Have a great weekend, and a great week too! Happy scrapping :)

Melodie D'Amour

2010-02-15T18:51:00.005-07:00

Wow, no posts for a long time and now three in a row! I'm seriously barely keeping up. I thought with the long weekend that I would have so much time to plant myself in front of the computer, but I still have to clean the bathroom, the kitchen, make lunches for the kids and do my own laundry, as well as putting theirs away so everything is organized for the week! So I suppose my computer time will be short lived tonight, going to go post some layouts to the galleries, download any new kits I need to work on and then log off so I can get my other stuff done! Hopefully I'm able to sneak an hour here and there during the evenings this week! I also need to let you know about another kit that Ptitesouris has out today, it's on sale for $1.00Euro, which is super cheap! It's like 70% off! It's part of the monthly 1Euro sale they have at DigitalCrea. The kit is called Melodie D'Amour, and it's fabulous! I am just loving all her kits. She is so talented! Here is the preview:And my layout:

**Template by Scrapping With Liz, font is P22 Cezanne

I seriously don't know what is going on with my text in PS. It looks normal on my screen, but then I notice after I save it that something doesn't look right. The last time, it was all choppy and barley legible, and this time it's fat and looks like I bolded it, but I didn't. It did not look like that on my screen! Maybe I need to rasterize my text before saving as a jpeg. I dunno. Anyways, I love the flowers and greenery in this kit, so pretty! This template was a freebie from Scrapping With Liz, so make sure you check her blog out, she has freebies quite regularly. Anyhoo, I better go get some of my other crap done tonight, have a great week! (Although I'll probably be posting again before too long now that things are back to normal all around!) Also, happy family day to all those Canadians out there!!! It was so nice to have a three day weekend, although it still seems like it wasn't long enough!

Cookin' In my Kitchen

2010-02-15T17:09:00.004-07:00

Ok, so I forgot to post this yesterday with my colossal blog post about the STI store re-opening, so check it out:

I thought I had better post it in case anyone wanted to get signed up for the newsletter and have their chance to win that gift certificate!

I also needed to tell you that Dream Big Digi has a new kit out today called Cookin in My Kitchen, so if you don't have a cooking kit, or even if you do, check out this new one, it has lots of unique cooking elements:

My layouts:**Template by LaurieScraps

**Template by Crystal Livesay

There is something about my color combination on the first layout that just doesn't seem totally right to me, but I love the alpha and the elements, so I'm showing it to you anyways! I just love the second layout. The flour I created using the blue sprinkle from the kit, I thought I was pretty clever lol. Anyways, that's it for now. Have a great day, then go scrap it!!

MEGA POST!!

2010-02-14T16:59:00.002-07:00

Wow, we're into February already! I have been a very busy girl as of lately and my poor little blog has been sorely neglected. I've been needing to update my book blog as well, but that one will have to wait for the moment. Between work, and kids and scrapping, there's not much time left at the end of the day! So first of all, Scrap That Idea is now open!! And new and improved!! Make sure you stop by the new store and check out all the new releases, the new look and the new gallery!! All the girls have new kits out, and each and every one of them is fantastic!! So grab a cup of coffee, some snacks, and settle in for the largest and longest post I think I may have ever done!! There is a new collab kit out by all the girls appropriately named New Beginnings. I love the color combo with this one, and there are so many papers and elements to choose from the combinations are endless! My layouts:**Template by LaurieScraps

Check out Mel's new colorful kit called Giggles. The elements are so incredibly cute!! The stickers remind me of the Mr.Men book series, anyone remember them?? Mel also has a couple add-ons for this kit, like some quick pages and stuff, and has it all bundled up for a super cheap price so make sure to look check it out!
And because I'm a slacker I only got one layout done with this kit. I may still do another one, I just haven't had time!! I used a template by Kristal Hartley for this one.

Stacey's new kit out is the next in her alphabet series called M is for Make My Day. I just love the colors in this one!

My layouts:
**Template by CSchneider

Stacey also has some CU items in her store, like frames and text paths, so make sure you check them out too if you're interested!

Sara's new kit is called Cafe Rose and is beautiful as well, check it out:

My layouts:

**Template Freebie from The DigiChick

**Template by Yin

I'm not sure what happened to my text on this layout, but that's not what it was supposed to look like! And I'm so lazy I didn't take the time to fix it, so just ignore it!! lol.

Vicki's new kits are so awesome, the first one is called Fun Times, it has a great mix of papers and I just love the craft paper with all those brights!

For both of my layouts, I used Vicki's templates, they were previous blog freebies, and she has packaged them up and put them in her store, you get four templates for only a dollar!

And here are my layouts, (for this first one I also used bokeh effects on the photo by Kaleidoscope):

Her next kit is called Doodle Love, probably because it is full of hand drawn elements that Vicki drew herself!

And my layouts:

Credits: Doodle Love by Vicki A Work in Progress, photo overlay by Lynne Marie Favreau, font Typewriter Royal 200

Credits: Doodle Love by Vicki A Work in Progress, template by Digi Designs by Denise, font Rockwell

Her next kit is Love is in the Air. Such a great kit!! Check out the preview:And here are my layouts, credits underneath:**Template by Crystal Livesay

I just love the alpha in this kit, isn't it great?!**Template by wmsquared

And in other scrapping news, Ptitesouris has a new kit out this week called Little Leane. It is so adorable, and I just love those soft purples and her different elements. Here is the preview:

My layout with this kit (template by Crystal Livesay):So as always, thanks for looking and happy scrapping! Make sure you go grab these kits while they are on sale! And make sure you check out the STI girls blogs, I think they all have freebie kits out right now in celebration of the new store!! (Click on their blinkies in the sidebar). TTFN, and have a great Valentine's weekend!

To Let Live Your Imagination

2010-02-04T15:38:00.004-07:00

Okay guys, I am so super excited to show you this layout of mine! I posted my first kit for Ptitesouris today, and I am just so in love with her kits. They are so different from what I'm used to, and I feel so out of my league with all the talent she has on her regular CT. I guess it's good to step out of our comfort zone once in a while though hey! Here is the first kit I got to work with and it's just released today at Digital Crea:

And my layout (also used template by Crystal Livesay):
I just love how it turned out. I find I tend to scrap photos of my daughter (partly becuase at this stage I take more photos of her than my son) so I thought it would be nice to do a layout of Chase for once! If you want to see some of the awesome layouts from the rest of the CT, check out Ptitesouris blog, they are seriously amazing! I don't know how I even made it as guest CT!! You may also want to check it out anyways, as there is a link to this amazing freebie (part of a freebie collab you can download a part every Thursday!):And in some minor news, I really have to update my book blog. I've gotten a little behind in posting my reviews and have read like, six books or something since I last updated. So I suppose I'll have to do a monster review post to get caught up!! Ttfn.

Smitten, Vintage Flourish

2010-02-01T12:51:00.006-07:00

Hey everyone! I know it's been a little quiet here on the blog front, but things are about to really get rolling! First of all I got a job!! WEEEoooo! For those of you that don't know, I've been unemployed since last summer when the company I was working for shut it's doors and left me with no job to return to. I was on maternity leave until September, and so I had a little time. I applied for a few jobs but it wasn't looking too optimistic, so I decided that I would stay home with my kids instead, and start a dayhome. This way I could have a little bit of income while being able to spend time with my kids. However, I ended up with only one child coming, and the agency couldn't place any more with me due to age limits, and my son was not happy at all that he didn't have a child his own age to play with, and he made it hellish for me every single day. SO I started applying for jobs again in December, and I got a wicked awesome job offer this month (after more interviews than I even care to count!!) and I took it. The kicker is that I will be making more money than I was at my last job, and even after I pay the day home for my child care, I'll still bring home more than I was making doing the dayhome myself. This week is house clean up week, the girl I was watching has found a new dayhome, and I start my new job on monday. I feel invigorated and energetic, and so happy that things are starting to look up. This will be a positive change for my whole family. Second thing, I am guest CT for Ptitesouris this month and next month, and am so excited!! Her designs are different from what I get to play with normally, so I hope I don't disappoint!! I don't have layouts ready yet, but as soon as there is a kit to post, I'll show you all! And if you're not familiar with her designs, definitely check out her blog, as she is fantastic!!

Scrap That Idea is also re-vamping their store, and will be having a grand re-opening in a few days, so stay tuned for that!! It's going to be fantastic and the girls have some new kits that will knock your socks off!

Also, Kathy Winters has changed stores and is now selling her kits in two (that's right count 'em - two stores!!) She is now calling Enchanted Studio Scraps and Scrappity Doo Dah her homes, and you can check out all her designs at either store. Her new kit Smitten is out today, here is the full preview (I think it may be one of her best kits yet!!):

My layouts, both of these were done using templates by Crystal Livesay:

And last, but definitely not least, Dream Big has a new kit out this week as well, called Vintage Flourish, and it is so beautiful!! I just love the alpha, and the little splash of green in there is to die for. So great, you can find this kit here.

This layout I did using a template by Janet Phillips.Cheri at Dream Big is also having a CT call, she's starting her CT fresh, so if you're interested, make sure to visit her blog for all the details. She's great to work with and as you can see is very talented! So that's it for today, thanks for hanging around for this ginormous post! Have a great day, then go scrap it!!

L'Amour, TV Shows

2010-01-20T23:19:00.003-07:00

I just wanted to pop on and let you all know that Dream Big Designs has a new kit out called L'Amour, it's great, check it out (It's on sale for only $2!):

Here are my layouts:

Verse by Fisher

Template by Janet Phillips

On a little side note, here are a couple clips from my favorite new shows:

Cougar Town:

Parks and Recreation, if you like a little dry humour:

And of course I can't wait for Vampire Diaries and Lost to resume their normal schedules. TV has been a little lacking lately, and I miss my shows! I haven't seen House for a few weeks either. Humph. What are you guys watching??

Giveaway, free kits and new stuff!!

2010-01-12T16:52:00.005-07:00

Okay, first of all, there is a fantastic giveaway over on the Made With Love and Glue blog, for one of her fantastic family stitchery projects! I want to win, (so maybe just ignore this part, and definitely don't click on the link or enter yourself!) but here is what it looks like:

Second thing up for today, Mel and Stacey have a new freebie on their blogs, here is the preview:

My layout with Mel's part (template by Janet Phillips):
My layout with Stacey's part:

Also, Sara has this new year in review kit, called 2009 What a Hoot, I just love this kit!! Here is the full preview:My first layout used a template by Arisu:

My second layout, I just love those elements!:

Stacey also has a new kit out this week, called L is for Let's go Sledding! Here is the full preview:

My first layout used a freebie template by Cindy Schneider:

And here is my second:

Whew! Had a little bit to catch up on!! Thanks for looking! Have a great day, and then go scrap it!!

Joyful, Baby it's Cold Outside

2010-01-10T00:57:00.007-07:00

Mel has not one but two new kits out this week! Aren't you in for a treat! The first one is called Joyful, and I just loved the colors and the layouts I made using this one:My layouts:Credits: Joyful by Mel's Lightbulb Moments, template bySine.

This layout is very true to who I am at the moment, I've been having some issues and I really need to re-focus, and I'm going to use the new year as an opportunity to change some things about myself, and try to have a better life day by day. And the other kit out today is Baby it's cold outside! Lately that has been so true around here. I really liked this kit also, and found the colors went easily with many of my photos and my layouts came really quickly and easily. Plus, how adorable are those snowmen?And my layouts:Credits: Baby it's cold outside by Mel's Lightbulb Moments, template by Janet Phillips

This photo is actually my sister in law on a road trip, apparently the hat was a great accessory, as it was good for conversation as well!

Make sure and check out these kits while they are on sale during the first 48 hours! Well, that's it for me for today. Hope you're staying warm and joyful!!

It's Complicated

2010-01-09T12:33:00.002-07:00

I went to see this movie last night (having a bit of a rough week so my sister took me ♥). I had wanted to see Avatar, but when we got there it was already sold out, and she really wanted to see this one. I expected a romantic comedy, but this movie genuinely surprised me with just how good it really was. I mean, Meryl Streep is always fantastic, and with Steve Martin, and Alec Baldwin too, you can't really go wrong. And while I kind of disliked Alec Baldwin's character, I think he kind of stole the show! It was so much funnier than I expected, the audience was laughing so hard through parts that you couldn't hear what was being said. It was really good, and if you have time, definitely go see it.

King Pin

2010-01-04T00:43:00.002-07:00

Anyone else out there like bowling?? I really love bowling, especially the neon bowling. I actually bowl better in the dark, I think it's because I really focus on the pins then, as they glow!! Pretty fun stuff. Cheri over at Dream Big came out with this uber cool bowling kit, check it out:You can grab it in her store here. And here are my layouts!! This first one I just love!! How cool is that bowling alley element? And that rental shoe? Awesome.And for this layout, I used Vicki's template, it was a freebie on her blog but if it's no longer up as a freebie, check her store!! I actually really like this template, I've used it a couple times, and I love that I can show off lots of papers with it!!Anyhoo, thanks for visiting me! Make sure you check out Cheri's blog for the freebies that the CT has done for you!! (I'm the only slacker as of late it seems that doesn't do a freebie, sorry!) I hope someone out there enjoys these posts. I really do need to do some more posts in between, my rants and random ramblings have been few and far between! I appreciate everyone that reads my posts though, it's nice to know someone out there likes what I have to say!

Colour My World!

2010-01-02T00:43:00.001-07:00

Hey guys, Vicki has a new kit out today, called Colour My World, and is it ever packed full of colours. I don't know how many times I told her how much I love the colors in this kit, so bright and vibrant. Here is the full preview:And here is my layout, I used a template "jumper 23" by Crystal Livesay (I really love her templates!) I also used a photo texture by Cinnamon Designs on my photo. This one I absolutely LOVE. I loved this template by Janet Phillips, and how my layout turned out, (I originally bought the template at the Daily Digi, but Janet has since moved to the Sweet Shoppe). I loved the papers I chose from Vicki's fantabulous kit, and I love how my photos matched the kit (totally didn't even try to do that!).So another day, another post!! Feels like all I blog about is scrapping, but there really isn't too much else going on in my world right now. I've been trying to do some quilting, but I barely even manage to get pieces cut without my kids interrupting me. Crafts have dwindled to nil as well, but I am still trying to read and take time for me too. This time of year is so busy! On top of everything else we women regularly do, we have to do all the "Christmas stuff" on top of it, like planning meals, shopping and wrapping, making cards. Maybe I put it all on myself, I dunno! Anyone out there have a hubby that does shopping for anyone other than his wife?? I know I sure don't! Hope your new year has started off properly and that your holidays have been great! I know I'm really looking forward to making a fresh start this year!

Welcome 2010

2009-12-31T22:25:00.008-07:00

It feels weird to me that it's 10:30pm (or close to) and that I'm blogging. I haven't written an actual post that wasn't centered on scrapbooking in who knows how long. It's not that I don't have things to say, get me on the phone and you can't shut me up, I'm with the kids all day so conversation is really something I enjoy! I can't say I will miss 2009. The year was just okay for me. The last half especially sucked for me, starting in July when I was laid off while on my mat leave due to the company closing it's doors. I started the day home in October when my mat leave was over, and it hasn't been an easy journey. I have had more challenges with my four year old son than I've ever had in his entire life. He has been difficult, not listening, no respect, and just general bad behaviour. I have tried devoting extra time to him, and it hasn't helped, as everyone thought his issue was jealousy, or boredom. I still don't know what it is, things haven't really changed at all. Having the day home is not working for me even on a more personal level. I know some women find real meaning in being there for there kids, and caring for little ones. And while I do want to be there for my kids, and they are my first priority, I can't say I am finding the personal satisfaction in changing poopy diapers and feeding kids 12 times a day (at least that's what it feels like!) I have been applying for jobs for the last month, and have had at least 4 interviews, but no offers. The last one sounded really positive but I didn't get a call back, so I've decided to actually call back myself and find out what the reason was for why I didn't get this one. Is it my references, my interview, anything in particular, or just a matter of someone being more qualified than me, or being just as qualified but able to start right away? This is really kicking the crap out of my self confidence, as for the first time in my life, I don't have a job. I have always, and I mean ALWAYS been offered the job if I had an interview for it, and I know the job market has changed a little bit due to the economy, but I just don't get it. I'm personable, reliable, have a good resume and am an honest, hard working person. And yet, I feel like I'm incapable of getting a job, and it makes me feel like a loser. Financially, we're okay for the moment, I have the little girl coming to my day home until March, but if I don't find something by then I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I really want a job, and that is my goal for 2010! I found personal satisfaction in doing books at the job I was at, and it was my dream job, great hours, great pay, great people, and I was so sad to see the job disappear. It's kind of hard to go to anything else after having that, but I will. The only hard part is, I can't even go work nights, as I had thought about even working at Tim Hortons (which could be trouble as anyone that knows me knows how much I love my Timmies) but because of the hours my hubby works, which are very irregular and he's on call, I have to work daytime hours where I have guaranteed child care. SO needless to say, the last half of the year has sucked for me on a very personal level, not having work, financial stress, plus the stress of feeling like a crappy mom for yelling at my son all day, and it has been so bad some days that I'm crying over the mac and cheese as I make the kids lunch. I have really been struggling, and I find it funny how one small change like place of employment can impact me so much, in how I view myself, how I think others view me, and how it can all snowball into so many other areas of my life.

On the other hand, while I've been at home, I've been able to devote a lot of my time to my new passion, which is obviously digital scrapbooking. I've met some wonderful designers through blogging that I wouldn't otherwise have had the chance to get to know, and I now call some of them friends! Even if they're only cyber friends, but I think it's a really cool thought to know that I have friends all over the world. I'm grateful to be on several creative teams, and have the honor to do layouts with some great kits! I've found the digi-scrapping world to be friendly and warm, and I really love doing it. It's also challenged me to take better photos, and I really want to get my camera off the auto setting in the new year.

My family has also grown and changed in the last year, my daughter who was born in the fall of 2008 when I first started blogging is now 15 months old, walking talking and full of attitude! My son and I have had a rough few months, but he tells me he loves me constantly and I am enjoying seeing new aspects of his personality emerge, between all the bouts of bad behavior. My husband and I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary this year, and we have a solid relationship, I know he will always be there when I need him, and no matter what challenges I've had I know he will always love me.

So there have been ups and downs, but I do have a lot to be thankful for. In the new year, I am going to be more positive, and take some concrete steps to get my life back where I want it to be. I want to be a good mom for my kids, and truly enjoy the time I have with them. I want to feel like a positive person, and try to eliminate those critical and negative thoughts that I often have. I think a lot of who you are starts right there in your own thoughts, which are powerful things for something so intangible. I never blogged about losing my job before, I guess I wasn't ready to share it, and now just feels like the right time to purge it. Get rid of it in the last hour before the year is over, so I can leave all the poopy stuff back in '09. So if I've said it once, I'll say it a million times, thanks to all of you that read my posts. This blog has been a weird little trip for me, starting out with some ramblings and the odd rant here and there about whatever happened to grab my attention at the moment, to a crafty blog where I shared my quilting and sewing passion (which is still a passion, it just gets pushed to the back burner more often now that Rayna is more mobile and my time is more limited). Then it's changed yet again to show off my love of digital scrapping. Who knows what it'll be like next year at this time. So thanks for hanging out with me, I really do appreciate it. And while I hope for better things for myself for the new year, I also wish every one of you the best! I hope all your dreams come true, and the new year brings you opportunities to do things you never thought you would, the courage to grab those opportunities, and the love and support to enjoy the windfalls. Good riddance to this year, and welcome 2010! Happy New Year everyone!

Freebies!

2009-12-28T00:47:00.007-07:00

Hey guys, busy busy busy time of year, I haven't had time to post anything lately! Just thought I would pop on to let you know there are some freebies floating around, check out this Christmas freebie kit from Stacey: and a layout I did today with it:
Also, Vicki has a winter freebie on her blog too, she is releasing it in bits every week, so make sure you head over there and check hers out as well!

I also did this little hybrid project using a kit called Indigo Winter by Kitty Designs and a template by Kelly Ratzlaff, as I needed a box for some of the gift cards I bought this year (I totally rocked the gift cards, it made shopping for nieces and nephews so much easier!!) and this matchbox was the perfect size!!I don't know if you can tell by the photos, but my un-naturally sweaty hands made the ink start to come off onto my fingertips, leaving me with blue tipped fingers for the rest of the day. Funny that it comes off the paper, but not off my fingers!! Anyways, hope your Christmas was jolly and your boxing day deals were wonderful (if you're into that, which I so am not!!) and that you had some relaxing time with your family! Our Christmas was pretty good, the kids were moderately well behaved this year, and I stuffed myself at not one but two turkey dinners! And even though things have been tight, Santa was good to everyone in my family this year too! If you don't hear from me before the New Year, best wishes to everyone!!

Things that Go

2009-12-20T00:41:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Just a quick post to let you know Mel has a new kit out today, called Things that Go! It's a bright fun kit perfect for layouts of your kids! Mel went all out and there are extras like brag books, flairs and additional alphas! Check it out:Here is my first layout! I think it feels kind of cheesy, but I love the extraction, and think it also looks kind of cute. Cheesy but cute. Not super inspired maybe, but a fun little layout. This layout is more typical of what I tend to do!! lol. Chase building his train set. I also used a template by Janet Phillips.

So as always, thanks for looking, and happy scrapping!

Merry & Bright

2009-12-20T00:00:00.004-07:00

Hey all, hope you're feeling merry and bright these days! Christmas is coming up so fast, I haven't quite had time to feel the spirit, but I hope it creeps up on me soon. I remember that feeling as a kid, the anticipation and the waiting, and it just doesn't feel like it used to. Anyways, that's another story for another time! I really just wanted to do a short and sweet post about Kathy Winter's new Christmas kit called Merry and Bright. It's a really cute hand doodled kit and it was so much fun to do layouts with. Here is the full preview:She has a separate alpha that comes in six different colors to coordinate however you like on your layout. I love this alpha! So whimsical.

My first layout is of my daughter, getting busted sneaking into the cookies when I ran upstairs to change. I come downstairs to find her sitting on the floor shovelling cookie into her face, with the evidence spread out all around her!! I have to hand it to her, she did try to share when she saw me!! I was so mad at the mess right in that moment, but had the brains to grab my camera and take a couple photos, knowing that it was a scrapable moment. Now I think it's cute and funny, but at the time all I was thinking was that I had another mess to clean up!
And this one was her again, only last year at this time!! They grow and change so much, although with the way she is getting into everything that 4 month age sure looks good again!! She's still not sleeping through the night anyways, so I think I'd be farther ahead if she had quit growing!! I also used a freebie template from Vicki's blog, so if you like the layout, head on over there and snatch up the template!! She also has a collection of previous blog freebie templates in the store (four of them for only a dollar!!), and you can find those ones HERE.Also, some of the other fantastic girls that are on Kathy's CT with me made you some freebies, I think there are some gift tags and a quick page on Kathy's blog, so make sure you go snag those to go with your kit! I'm off to bed now, to nurse this awful cold I have. Any time spent sitting at the computer leaves me congested to the point of not being able to breathe through my nose!! Thanks for looking, and I hope you are enjoying every moment leading up to the big magical day!!

K is for Kitty

2009-12-19T23:17:00.000-07:00

And Stacey's alphabet series continues! I seriously don't know how she keeps coming up with these ideas! Here is her new kitty kit, called K is for Kitty:Aren't those little doodled kitties the cutest? And of course, this gave me an excuse to scrap my photos of bud from this spring. (I took these photos just a couple weeks before he died! So weird how that worked out. It was a very sad day, you can read about it HERE if you want.)And this one was more of my little tribute to him, the faded photo of him and the faded paw print are how I feel, I still think about him quite often, and he definitely left paw prints on our hearts! I used the font P22 Cezanne for the title.

This is a great kit if you have kitty's!! Go grab it while it's on sale for the first 48 hours, and check Stacey's blog for any goodies she might have for you!

Mystical Memories

2009-12-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

Vicki has done it again! Here is her new kit, Mystical Memories:

This is my layout:

These are my little birdie friends, that come eat at my bird feeder all day! I love watching them hanging out on my deck, although they are going to cost me a fortune to feed all winter! The font is by Darcy Baldwin.

Winter's Lullaby

2009-12-16T21:30:00.004-07:00

Just a short post tonight, I wanted to let you know about this beautiful kit by Oopsie Daisy, it's called Winter's Lullaby, and is jam packed with 20 papers and 80 elements, and it's only $3 right now! Here is the full preview:and my layouts:
Have a great day, and happy scrapping!

Baby it's cold outside!! And a freebie!

2009-12-14T22:26:00.002-07:00

The last few days, it has been between -35C and -52C at my house. I'm so not even kidding! See?! I think my lens even fogged up as it was so cold outside!! This was this morning. I still packed up the kids, and off to pre-school we went to drop Chase off! Unless the school is closed, we go!! That's life in Northern Alberta for ya!! lol.

Anyways, I got out this weekend to get some shopping done, so I'm pretty much all set there except for my hubby, who I hope to finish off this week. Other than that, Christmas can come if it wants to!! I've got the perogies, cabbage rolls and meat pies in the freezer, so all is well. I even had a little time today to do some crafting, I decided to make Chase this really simple polar fleece neck warmer...only it turned out to be not so simple...for me!! (And if any of my crafty friends are reading this and can tell me what the heck I'm doing wrong, please step in, as I spent two hours picking stitches out, because I keep trying different ways to sew it together! This is how it starts out, and how I would like it to look, green around the one side, and the camo on the other. So the inside is one color, and the outside is another. I wanted to make sure all the seams ended up on the inside, so I sewed the ends of the green together, and I sewed the ends of the camo together, and slipped one inside the other and sewed the tube at the top and bottom, leaving a space for turning. But...When I turned it, this is what it looked like!! A narrow tube not large enough to fit over Chase's head!! And the colors aren't where they are supposed to be either, and there is a seam right in the middle!! AURGH! I totally took these pictures thinking I was going to post a cute little tutorial on how to do this, then realized I couldn't even figure it out myself. I'm totally going to email my pal Ashley at Make it and Love it and see if she can tell me how to do this!!! Seriously, such a simple concept and I have buggered it up beyond the point of it being worth it! I just want to go buy one for $8 and say forget it! lol. Ashley, help a girl out, won't you? Look, I'm pathetic. lol.In other news, Cheri at Dream Big Designs has a freebie collab kit on her blog this week, so cyber run over there and check it out! The bright colors are so much fun.Here is my layout, you may not be able to read the journalling, but it just talks about what a sassy little girl my daughter is becoming!! Also, the girls at Scrap that Idea have a great shopping incentive, or deal, or whatever you want to call it! Check this out:

Isn't that great? You get to give and receive at the same time, what could be better than that? Not much if you ask me. Thanks for hanging out with me today, if you're in a warmer climate, please send some sunshine and warmth our way!! (It's supposed to be only -3C by Friday, isn't that crazy!!)

Starry Starry Night

2009-12-13T20:10:00.004-07:00

If any of you is looking for the cutest Christmas kit, you've found it!! Mel has released this gorgeous kit, and the elements are so cute! I love the papers, and the colors are perfect. Here is the preview of Starry Starry Night:And here is my first layout, I used a template by Colie's Corner, and everything else from the kit.And this one is my first ever two page layout, and I just love how it turned out!! Aren't the star characters the cutest? I just love it. I used a template from Scrapping With Liz for this one as well, I just love her templates. I also used a font (can't remember which one at the moment) and this tutorial on the Daily Digi for the title. And special thanks to my nephew for posing for me!

So that's it, that's all! Hope you are all enjoying this Christmas season and soaking in as much relaxation as you can, and trying to keep in your heart what the season is all about! I know I am! As always, thanks for visiting, and happy scrapping!

Live, Laugh, Love

2009-12-12T22:08:00.000-07:00

Vicki has a great new kit out, called Live, Laugh, Love, check it out:

I just love the colors in this kit! Here are my layouts:

For the first one I used DJB Journal Bits font as well as Hand Stamped Alpha by Michelle Coleman.This was a great kit to work with, and I loved the colors. The papers were fantastic! I'm also no longer going to post all the fonts that I'm using, as it just takes too much of my time, however if you see one you like, leave a comment and I'll let you know what it was!

J is for Jam Session

2009-12-12T16:32:00.000-07:00

Have any guitar hero photos? How about muscial photos in general? Well, I for one don't!! Our family is not musical at all, and this new kit of Stacey's called J is for Jam Session is one cute kit full of fantastic fun colorful elements and papers for those of you that do! Check it out:

And here is my layout, I did have this photo of my Grandpa Andy and Uncle Walter playing accordion (you don't see that any more!) and fiddle respectively. I recolored a few of the elements to match my layout, so it just goes to show you how versatile kits can really be!

Thanks for looking, and make sure you check out Stacey's blog, she may have a freebie for you!

Winter

2009-12-12T00:51:00.003-07:00

I am so excited to tell you about Sara's new kit, Winter! It is absolutely gorgeous! I loved getting to play with this one! There are lots of glittery and snowy elements, and the colors are so beautiful. Here is the full preview:

And here are my layouts, I've really gotten fond of using templates lately, I have zero inspiration some days, and am really looking forward to Christmas break!! lol. This one I used a template by Dunia that was in my Digi Files #10 grab bag. The alphas that are in the Winter kit are so beautiful too! The photo is courtesy of my sweet little angel niece!This layout was a template also, but this one was a "jumper" by Crystal Livesay. I love how this turned out, and the dark blue paper is so pretty. And if you're quick, you can hop over to Sara's blog and grab a sampler of this kit!!

What? You're still here? Get going!! lol. Thanks for visiting, happy scrapping!

Old Fashioned Holiday

2009-12-11T14:10:00.004-07:00

Hellllo blog land!! Kathy has a really great new Christmas kit out, it has very soft colors and really fantastic vintage looking elements! Here is a preview of Old Fashioned Holiday:

And my layouts, the first one I used a template by HapEscrapr, as well as the font P22 Cezanne.

So thanks for looking, have a great day and happy scrapping!

Mary's Boy Child

2009-12-09T19:54:00.004-07:00

This is my all time favorite Christmas carol. I absolutely love the Boney M Christmas album, and we listen to it every year while decorating the tree. (A tradition my mom started!) Please ignore the fella's tight white shiny spandex type pants, and any dance moves that make you feel awkward lol.

Anyone else have any favorite Christmas carols? I'm always looking to add to my holiday music collection! I also like Martina McBride's Christmas album, as well as this one by the She Daisy:

I also love Anne Murray (of course) and I have a mixed country Christmas CD that has some good ones on it too. I'd love to hear what your favorites are!!

My Guy Ty

2009-12-07T01:20:00.004-07:00

Hey everyone! Cheri over at Dream Big has a great new boy kit out, called My Guy Ty! Check it out:I just love Cheri's kits as she always has really unique elements that you don't see all the time. Here is one of my layouts, I used a template by Lindsay Jane.And this one was another template by Janet Phillips, and I'm finding I'm loving her templates, they're simple and quick and I always love how they come out. And don't you just love those road signs?

Make sure and stop by Cheri's blog for the freebies that the rest of the team will have for you! I haven't had time lately, but I'm hoping on the new year I'll have a little more free time to do some freebies for anyone that might like them! And if you want this kit, grab it right away, as Cheri will keep it on special for the first week!

Flirty Freebie kit!!

2009-12-06T21:11:00.005-07:00

Hey guys, Mel has a new freebie kit on her blog, she's releasing it in four parts, so cyber-run over there (aka click the link) and grab the first part! Here is the preview of part one:

and here is what I did with the kit, using one of the newest templates from Scrapping with Liz. I deleted the snowflake layers to do this one, but love how it turned out!!

Happy scrapping!!

Get Fresh Freebie kit!!

2009-12-06T01:41:00.005-07:00

Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know about a freebie kit over on the STI blog! The store has been down due to technical difficulties, and it is now back up and running full speed ahead! So in celebration the lovely ladies from the Scrap that Idea team have put together a freebie kit! Here is the preview:

And a layout I did with it, using a tutorial over at the Daily Digi to do the title:

So thanks for stopping by, and happy scrapping!

I Do, I Do, I Do!

2009-12-05T22:47:00.001-07:00

Mel has a gorgeous kit out called I Do, I Do, I Do! It's great for weddings and anniversaries! Here is a full preview:
And my layouts:I'm the one closest to the bride that looks like she's freezing (because I was!!)And this is me seven months pregnant with my daughter last summer when my brother got married. "Glowing" may not be the right word lol. Make sure you go grab this kit while it's on special!!

I is for I Love You, Vintage Chic

2009-12-05T22:40:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! The gals at STI have some new kits!! And they are great! Stacey put out this one, and I just love the color scheme, and the layouts I came up with! (I especially love it when that happens!) I find a lot of the time I might love the kit, but when it comes time to put together a layout, I end up not so happy with it. Not the case with this kit!This photo is my hubs and I on our anniversary, in 2002. I love this layout! The birdies, the blues and pinks and browns, the pattern, the word art...so nice. I added the date to the swirl element, and I love that it's not super noticeable and looks like part of the element. Thanks Stacey for making such a fantastic kit!I used a freebie template by Crissy W for this layout, and the staples were actually included with the template, and not with the I is for I love you kit. This photo was another from the pre-children era of our lives, we were out hunting and a friend snapped this photo. I also used the pinhole action from Bohemian Secret actions. I used the alpha from the kit and Suzie's hand font.There is also a new challenge using a little add-on to this kit on the STI blog, go check it out!

And then the always fantabulous Vicki came out with Vintage Chic, which is exactly as the title says! Here is the preview:And here is my first layout, this is actually a scraplift of one Janet from the Daily Digi posted, and I like to save layouts I come across for inspiration. The font I used was Designer Notes

Here is Janet's layout, which was my inspiration (if you want to know more about the Daily Digi, just click on their blinkie on the sidebar).

And my second layout, this photo is of my Great Grandparents, holding a hand made cross stitch that has been handed down to my mother. It hangs in her basement right now, and it will be passed to me one day. I came across this photo when my auntie gave me a copy of all the photos in Grandma's albums after she passed, and this photo was in there. I thought it was so cool that I have a photo of them with this cross stitch! The fonts I used were P22 Cezanne for the title, and Papyrus for the journalling text. This also was a scrap lift, but I'm not sure where I came across the original layout...This is the original that inspired me to do this layout, and when I saved it, it saved as "one love Melissa" so I apologize to Melissa for not keeping track of my inpirations, but I do love your layout, and if you stumble across this post, please let me know so I can give you proper credit! As always, thanks for visiting my blog, and have a great day!

Christmas Around The World

2009-12-05T21:42:00.000-07:00

The Scrap that Idea store is back up!! And the girls have done it again! They've come out with another fantabulous collaboration mega kit, and this one is of course Christmas themed! It's called Christmas around the world, and check out the previews of the individual parts you get when you buy the kit:And here are my layouts, the first one is Rayna last year at Christmas, little booger was only three months old! So cute and tiny. Ahhh, those were the days, the days before she started getting into everything and then screaming at me when I pull her away from it all. I used a photo mask By Becca for this one. For sure check out the masks, I just love them!This one was inspired by my lovely little children. (Are you sensing the sarcasm??! lol). The title is the alpha from the collab as well as CK Ali's Hand font.
I also have been wanting to make these ever since I saw them on the Daily Digi back in October! My idea was to make a kind of elf shoe, with a curly toe, or Mrs. Claus' shoes. Chase helped me (his were covered in glitter glue) and was pretty excited to give away his paper shoes. He was pretty sad that they weren't functional though! If you'd like the template to make your own using your own papers, check out the Daily Digi post. For these ones I used the collab kit and added glitter glue to the area's I wanted to highlight. These ones are my favorite! If I had wanted to go all out, I could have also re-printed the flowers on them separately and cut them out, and used pop dots to attach them and give them some depth, but I added drop shadows instead, and added them right on the template only, because yes, I'm lazy like that!! These would be great to fill with little Christmas cookies or treats to give as gifts as well. So many different options! The first pair I just printed on regular paper, but they do turn out much nicer if you do use cardstock, which I did use on this pair. So as always, thanks for looking, and hurry to the store and grab this kit while it's on sale!! Happy Scrapping :)

Pirate Treasure

2009-12-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

Sara of Sweet Blossom Designs has this Pirate Treasure kit out today, take a look, it is so fantastic! I have been a fan of hers for so long, and being on the store CT has been such a pleasure, and a treat! Getting to see all the new releases before they are out, and being able to play with them has been the best! These ladies are seriously talented.Now my family isn't very piratey, so I don't have one single photo of a person I know (even a child or a Halloween photo or anything!) dressed as a pirate, so I could only think of one other pirate that I would want to scrap!! (That's Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy??) I used the alpha and word art that are included in the kit, and the fonts DJB Journal Bits and UglyQua italics for the journalling body. All the little treasure and pirate elements are so cute, and there are so many in this kit, I couldn't possibly include them all!This layout, I kind of scrap lifted from a preview of a template...(I'm sorry Kristin Rice, I really am! But I've bought lots of your kits, and I was just too cheap to buy this template!!) I hope that's not a terribly bad thing, she should be honored that I scrap lifted, right? The title is the second alpha (yes I said second!!) that is included in the kit, and I just love it! The journalling font is my own that I purchased from Darcy Baldwin. And if you'd like to buy Kristin's template, go HERE, and redeem me!! At least if someone buys it, I won't feel so bad! (And seriously, it's only $1.50...and check out her new Christmas kit while you're there, it's fabulous, I just bought it!) This is my last layout, it was a little snugly moment between my daughter and the little girl that comes to our house for daycare. It was so sweet! I used the alpha and CK Ali's Hand.So as you can see this is a fabulous kit that is great for so much more than pirate stuff!! Go check it out, and then visit Sara's blog, as she probably has a freebie for you!

Family Feast, and I saw New Moon!

2009-11-29T22:52:00.003-07:00

Hello everyone! Just a short post tonight, I really needed to pop on and let you know about this fabulous kit that Maurine has out this week, called Family Feast, and it's great!! The elements are so cute! Check out the preview:It really can be used for any kind of layout, and since I'm in Canada and our thanksgiving was last month, my layouts are not themed!! The first is my niece and nephew, and my dad at his birthday party the other night. I am such a scrapper through and through that my only thought was that this was a total photo op!! I used a template by A Scrap Away for this layout, as well as Thanksgiving word art by Kathy Winters (preview is below my layout).And for this one, I used a freebie template by Krystal Hartley, which I've actually used before. I just really like this template! In my regular life news this week, I've cracked open one of my quilt kits to try and get one of my sewing projects done. I started cutting the material last week, and haven't finished. Every time I go down to start Chase wants me to help him build a train track, and it all goes downhill from there!! I also busted out my Boney M cd and dusted off my Christmas decorations. Last year I didn't even get any of it out, so this year I'm ahead of the game! Chase helped me put up all the window clings, and tomorrow while the girls nap, we'll slowly get some more of it out. And, I have to tell you I went to see New Moon today!! It was almost anti-climactic for me though, as I felt like I'd seen most of it in the previews. It was nice to have it in sequence though, so it made more sense. You can definitely tell there was a budget difference between this one and Twilight though. Overall, it was a good movie, I enjoyed watching it and would definitely go watch it again. There were several action sequences that were added, and the Volturi weren't as old and leathery/papery like they were described, but it was good. It sure moved a lot faster than the book, and I thought the editing made it feel a little choppy at times, as it seemed like some of the scenes felt like they assumed you read the book to understand how they got from one point to the next. 4 stars!! lol. That's all that's happening in my corner of the world. I have more personal work stories to share at some point, but it's on going right now, so you'll just have to hang in there. I know, I know, you're hanging on my every word and can't wait, but you'll just have to!! Oh, and was anyone else PO'd that the Vampire Diaries was a repeat?? I mean, I know it's Thanksgiving in the States, but c'mon! Ok, that's it, thanks for reading my drivel as always, g'night!

New Kits

2009-11-23T22:53:00.005-07:00

Hey guys! I've been slacking a little on my posting so I have several kits to tell you about tonight! The first one is a freebie kit that Stacey has on her blog called Giving Thanks, here is the full preview:

And here is what I did with it:

So go grab it over on her blog, completely FREE!! Well, it might cost you a comment, but that's not so hard, is it?? lol.

The next one up is My Kind of Christmas by Cheri of Dream Big Designs. She is so talented, this kit is so quirky and cute! Here is her preview:

Her kits are available at Designer Digitals as well as My Life and Scrap! And my layouts:Font was P22 Cezanne. I also used a template by Kristal Hartley.
The typewriter font I used for this one was Depot. Make sure you check out Cheri's blog for a whole bunch of freebies too! Almost everyone on her CT (except me hehe) has little freebie goodies for you!!

And last but not least is Gingybrr by Oopsie Daisy Designs. This is a great kit for Christmas photos as well. The full kit:And my layouts:

I remember the font I used for this one was Angelic War, and I love how it looks on the layout!

So thanks for looking, and happy scrapping!!

Scrap That Idea Freebies!! And other sales!

2009-11-17T13:15:00.006-07:00

Hey guys, so Vicki has a new freebie kit on her blog this week, I think she's giving it out in parts, so make sure to stop by her blog and grab it! Here is a preview:

and here is what I did with it, I used the font Blomster:

Mel also has a freebie kit out as well, and if you hurry you can still get the first two parts free!! And Cheri is having a huge sale this week over at My Life and Scrap, so make sure you grab any kits you've been eyeing for your stash:

I also think I passed the deadline for winners to contact me for their blogiversary prizes, so I'll be re-drawing later today for some prizes that weren't claimed, so stay tuned for that too!

Polar Play

2009-11-16T11:34:00.005-07:00

Hey guys! Just a short post today to let you know that Cheri from Dream Big Digi has a new kit out! It's the cutest winter kit, I made three layouts and didn't even touch on all the elements! Check out the full preview:

And here are my layouts, this first one is Chase building his snow forts. He got so excited in October when we first got snow, but I had to break it to him that it wasn't going to snow enough, and it wasn't going to last! These photos were from March last year.

This one, is Rayna this year, her first time outside in the snow. It was pretty cute, she just kind of sat there like this pink stay puffed man. It was hilarious. The alpha on this one is included in the kit, isn't it gorgeous!

And this one, I think this might be my favorite. Funny thing is, I wasn't totally sure about this paper when I first put it as the background, but then I started adding the elements, and the photos, and it came together and I love it! I slightly desaturated the photo, and used the freebie photo mask from Cheri's blog. I also recolored the candy cane to match my layout, and added the candy cane to the little teeny tiny polar bear so it looks like he is holding it. (Originally he was bigger, so it was easier to see!)

So run over to her store and check it out! Happy Scrapping! (Did you realize there are only 39 days til Christmas?) I know! Scary right? Sorry to do that to you, but man, someone had to say it! I have got to get some serious scrapping and crafting done in the next few weeks!

Girly Birthday Party

2009-11-13T23:51:00.002-07:00

Hey guys! Kathy has a brand new kit out (yes it's been a little while, but is so worth the wait!) It's called Girly Birthday Party, here are the previews:I think she may even have a special on that might get you the alpha for free! This was such a great kit, the colors were perfect for birthday stuff! This first layout is of some photos of Rayna's first birthday (there are lots more where these ones came from!) I'm really bad at sharing regular photos, so I kind of like that I can show my layouts, and everyone can see my pictures at the same time! This is the first birthday kit that I scrapped with, and my first actual birthday photo layouts, and I loved the kit! So many cute elements, and lots of them were non-themed, so you could do everyday layouts with this kit as well!And even though the kit is called "Girly" Birthday, I used it to scrap Chase's birthday photos as well! He had a Spongebob party (and yes I made his cake as well as Rayna's!) I got the idea from this photo, and used chiclets for the teeth, and licorice around his belt. I even found these little tubular candy coated licorice candies, and I used a little yellow one for his nose. I had to buy the whole bag to use that one, but I tossed the rest in the kids goodie bags. They tasted like crap, so I'm glad I gave them away!! lol. Poor little kidlets will think twice about coming to our birthday parties again!! hehe. I also used the coordinating Lil Thoughts on this layout.Oh, and make sure you check Kathy's blog, there may be some QP's lurking somewhere that Kristin put together for you! And does anyone else remember this?: Today being Friday the 13th made me think of it, as I remember watching it a long, long, long time ago! If you don't (sigh, then it was before your time) and you can check out the trailer, well, you can check it out even if you do remember it:

And now I'm rambling, so I'm going to go! So very tired tonight. Have a great Friday the 13th! And an even better Saturday the 14th!

Final giveaway winner!!

2009-11-13T23:33:00.005-07:00

Ok, sorry I'm late in posting this, I forgot all about it yesterday! SO the winner of a kit from Sara's store is...commenter #9, Jan. So Jan please let me know which kit you would like, and I'll get you a coupon code! Thanks everyone for your comments and for visiting my blog! Hope you enjoyed it!

Also, I haven't heard from DoggiNo for giveaway #3 for a free kit from Stacey's store, or from Mandy for giveaway #5 for a free kit from Mel Hains store. You have until Monday, November 16th to contact me at cwps29 (at) yahoo (dot) ca, and if I don't hear from you, I'll have to re-draw!! Thanks again to all the generous sponsors of my week of giveaways, and to everyone that entered, have a great weekend!

Sweet Romance, Homestead, and Quick Pages!!

2009-11-11T11:02:00.001-07:00

Okay, I'll just go ahead and get the giveaway winner out of the way! Today's draw is for a digital kit from Mel Hains Designs at Scrap That Idea. The winner is...{selected randomly using random.org}...comment #2, Mandy! Please email me at cwps29 (at) yahoo (dot) ca, (no spaces) and let me know which kit you would like as your prize! Congrats!

Next up, are the quick pages I made with Maurine's Sweet Romance kit. I showed you the layouts yesterday (check the post below) and if you haven't snagged this kit yet, you better hurry! It won't stay free forever! Here is the preview for my quick pages:

Just click on the photo below to be taken to download, password is beauty. Same thing here, click on the photo to be taken to download, the password is beauty.And the last one gives you the option of having no word art on it, click on the photo to download, and again, the password is beauty. If you download all three, you'll probably only have to enter the password once. Please let me know if you have any problems downloading!! And next up, is this fantastic kit by Cheri at Dream Big Digi, let me tell you I just loved playing with this kit! It started out as a collab kit with SAHM Scrapper, and ended up huge! I'm sure I cranked out these three layouts in about an hour! Grab it quick, as for a limited time, it's only $2 in her store! Here is the full preview:And here is the preview for SAHM's part:and my first layout, starring my nephew, I just loved the papers and all the elements in this kit! This layout is of my new nephew, using Cheri's part of the kit only:And this one was Chase, just ecstatic that it was snowing {it was early October, so needless to say, I was not as overjoyed}.And this one is my daughter, just being all cute and happy! Love these elements, and the photo mask! This layout used both kits.And here is one last freebie for you! A quick page made from my first layout for you! Hope you like some of my layouts, and please leave a comment if you download! I know you hear it all the time, but I know I for one really like to hear what you think! Click on the image to be taken to the download, and the password is family.Also, we celebrate Remembrance Day in Canada today, so make sure you take a moment to remember all those that have died for us, before us, so we could live in a free country. I found something I find very interesting on Wikipedia (don't you just love Wikipedia??) about the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, check it out if you're interested. I honestly never really gave much thought to the fact that some men went to war and never returned, and that they were possibly just never identified. Lest we forget...

Giveaway Winner!!

2009-11-10T23:43:00.004-07:00

Okay, I'll just go ahead and get the giveaway winner out of the way! Today's draw is for a pdf pattern from Make it and Love it, which was giveaway day four. The winner is...{selected randomly using random.org}...comment #1, Becky! Please email me at cwps29 (at) yahoo (dot) ca, (no spaces) and let me know which pattern you would like as your prize! Congrats!!

Also, I'm hosting a template challenge on the Scrap That Idea blog, so make sure to go check it out, and get your layouts uploaded to the gallery, you could win one of Vicki's kits! Short post tonight, I'm tired and today kind of sucked, and there will be a doozy of a post for tomorrow!! G'night~

Giveaway Winners and a Freebie

2009-11-09T20:57:00.005-07:00

Hey all, sorry I've been slow in getting the giveaway winners posted, with my Scrap booking retreat this weekend, time for anything else has been limited, which I'm finding is the case a lot lately! So I apologize. And without further ado... (that sounds so lame to me lol)...the winner of the Quilt Taffy giveaway for day one is: comment #2, R. So please email me with your address, and I'll have the wonderful ladies at Quilt Taffy send you the turnover! In all fairness, there were only two entries, so you both had a 50/50 chance of winning!! I also said I would choose the winner for giveaway for day two on Sunday, so the winner of a kit from Vicki's store is comment #17, Marif!! Please email me with your choice of kit, and I'll get you the coupon code to grab your kit! And since today is Monday, I'll do the winner for giveaway day three as well...which is for a kit from Stacey's store. The winner is...{drumroll...} comment #6, DoggiNo, so again, please email me with your choice of kit and I'll get you a coupon code to claim your prize! My email is cwps29 (at) yahoo (dot) ca. No spaces, hehe, trying to fool the spambots! Or you can check my blogger profile to get the address if you don't understand cryptic lol.

Also, Maurine from Let Me Scrapbook has a freebie collab kit available right now on her blog, and guess who her collab is with? The fabulous Nicole of Digi Designs by Nicole, so head on over to Maurine's blog to grab her parts, and then hit Nicole's for her parts as well! Here is a preview to Maurine's part of the kit:

And here are my layouts, isn't that carriage element just too cute? And I love the alpha too:Credits: Sweet Romance kit by Let Me Scrapbook, Template #12 by Colie's Corner.Credits: Sweet Romance by Let Me Scrapbook, H cutout alpha template by Scrapping With Liz.

Please check out these ladies that make these freebies for us!! Both template creators post freebies on their blogs quite often, and so does Maurine! And so do I for that matter. For instance, this Wednesday, there just might be some quick pages made from these layouts!! Come back Wednesday for those! I also wanted to say a special thanks to Corrie and Des from Quilt Taffy, and to Vicki and Stacey from Scrap that Idea for donating the prizes for my first three blogiversary giveaways. Also, thanks to everyone that played along for the giveaways, and thanks for reading my little blog! It makes me happy to know that others enjoy what I blog about enough to bother "following" me. Congrats to the winners, and please note, you guys have a week (approximately knowing me, hehe, well, at least a week) to contact me to claim your prize. SO get on it!! Also, the kit by Maurine and Nicole is only free for a limited time so make sure you snag it before it ends up in their stores! Have a great night everyone :)

My Little TuTu

2009-11-08T00:42:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I'm pressed for time so I'm going to make this short and sweet! (And from the looks of this preview I've already got the "sweet" part done! Mel's new kit My Little TuTu is out, and is so sweet! Perfect for all those little ballerina's out there, or everyday layouts as well. This is what I did with it, some of my macro shots of my flowers from this summer. Yes, sadly, summer is over for us here. Average daily temps have been anywhere from 0C to -10C. Sucks. We had snow for Halloween, but that's a common occurrence here.
Here is my second layout (I just love those sparkles and I wanted them to look like they were coming off my niece's wand). I used the hand stamped alpha by Michelle Coleman on the date tag. That's it! I should be having a bunch of fun at my scrapbooking retreat right now, so you guys all have a great weekend!! Let me know what you guys are all doing hey!? I love reading your comments :)

H is for Happy Hoedown

2009-11-07T11:21:00.002-07:00

Stacey has a new kit out this week! It's part of her alphabet series, and is called H is for Happy Hoedown! Here is the full preview:

Don't you just love those little cowfolk?? So cute. Here is my first layout, I used the word art included in the kit, and the title is using the alpha included in the kit as well as the font Rosewood STD (and I used it for the date too). I also used a freebie template from Kristal Harley (I love this template!) I also used the 70's action from the Pioneer Woman's action set (for free on her blog under the photography section!)And my second layout, Rayna's first time on a horse!! The title is the font rage as well as the alpha that is included in the kit. The journalling font is Pea Bandit. I used the Jumper 29 template by Crystal Livesay for this one too.

Don't forget to check Stacey's blog too, she probably has an add-on freebie to this kit for you! Thanks for looking, and happy scrapping!

Giveaway day 6

2009-11-06T00:17:00.006-07:00

I have fun news, this weekend I'm signed up for a Weekend in the Woods Scrapbooking retreat!! It goes from tomorrow night at 4pm til Sunday afternoon at 4pm, and I'm so excited. The only drawback is that I will have no internet access {gasp!! There are still places on the earth with NO internet!?!?} so I won't be able to do the draws for any of the giveaways until probably Monday in all likeliness. So for any of you that entered the very first few, you'll just have to hold out a little bit longer to find out who won, and if you haven't entered those ones yet, you've got a couple extra days to do so.

Now, on to today's giveaway!! It's for a digital kit of your choice from Sara of Sweet Blossom Designs! I absolutely love her kits, you can see this post for a quick view of some of my favorites from her store (and I own every one of them!) Please note that the challenge on that post is over. So all you need to do to enter is check out her store, let me know which kit is your favorite in a comment on this post, and you're in!! Thanks for playing along, I love finding out which ones everyone likes. I think I would have a hard time choosing one favorite kit out of all of her designs! The winner will be chosen at random and posted next Thursday, November 12, 2009. As always, happy scrapping!

**Comments are now closed**

Giveaways all over the place!! And some Twilight

2009-11-04T19:18:00.008-07:00

Ok guys, Julie over at Jaybird Quilts is having a 100th post giveaway!! She has several great prizes up for grabs, so hop on over and enter! (Or don't because then I have a better chance of winning!! lol).

It's also day 5 of my blogiversary celebration, and up for grabs today is one of many great digital kits by Mel Hains Designs! I just love Mel's stuff, it's all so funky, and unique! All you need to do to enter is visit her store, and let me know which kit is your favorite in a comment on this post. The winner will be chosen at random and posted next Wednesday, November 11th. Thanks for playing along, and good luck!!

Oh, and I know I shouldn't be getting excited about THIS yet, but I am!! Eclipse!? June 30th, 2010. They've already wrapped production. I'm gonna have to get another countdown widget hehe.
Only 15 more days til New Moon is in theaters! My sister better hurry up and finish reading it so she can come see it with me. (And I know you're reading this so get off the computer and go read that book!) You can see a new (or at least new-er) clip of the movie HERE. This is a photo of Riley from Eclipse, (and if you haven't read this book yet either, you better get on it!!) {cough-cough-my-sister-cough}

Okay, that's all folks! Now scroll down and make sure you enter all my giveaways!

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Giveaway day four!

2009-11-03T11:09:00.004-07:00

Hey guys! I totally posted all my craftiness yesterday, which sucks as I craft so little now, I like to spread the crafty goodness over several posts!! I did sign up for the Joy In The New Year challenge over on Jacquie's blog, to hopefully kick myself in the rear and finish (or even start more accurately) some of the quilt kits I've purchased and shoved into my "stock" and then never done anything with. So I've posted the four quilts that I'd like to get done by January 1st, 2010 (sounds so futuristic, 2010!! wow) and hopefully I can get a couple projects cleared out of my cupboard. Anyways, on to today's giveaway, which was the real reason for this post. It's a crafty giveaway, which is sort of what brought on all that talk in the first place!!

The fantastic and uber creative Ashley from Make It and Love It is sponsoring today's giveaway. The prize?? A one of a kind very detailed pdf pattern from her etsy store. All you need to do to enter the giveaway, is visit her etsy store, and leave a comment on this post letting me know what your favorite item is from her store. The winner will be chosen at random next Tuesday, November 10, 2009. And if you've never checked out her blog before and you're crafty in the least, do yourself a favor and go check her out! She has the simplest (and most cost effective) craft ideas and I just love her. She's super talented and sweet to boot!! Thanks for visiting, and good luck!

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