Stamp Off, Eh!

New Project (and I'm still alive!)

2011-12-14T21:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been working on a few non-crafty projects and so have neglected to post here in sometime. Thank you for the kind emails and texts asking if I'm well... I am!

I have a new cricut! I got the Expression2 on a ridiculous sale at my favorite craft store and picked up the Oh Canada cartridge at the same time. HOLY CROW IT'S SO CUTE!! I'm a bit of a nut for all things Canadian and it has almost nothing to do with the fact that my second child was born 3 hours too late to be a Canada Day baby. Honest.

Anyway, Close to My Heart sells this really cute My Creations Memory Game box set and I thought it would be fun to make a Canadian game! There's 24 cards, 3x3 inches, in the box so I only needed to think up 12 pairs. I used the Typeset paper pack, a sanding block, glue and the cricut... no ink or stamps!

I managed to get 7 pairs done (one each of those pairs shown in the photos). Once I get the other 5 pairs done I'll layer on some clear coat to seal it all up and decorate the box. You can see some of my itty bitty mistakes (like having to write in the letters for the coins, man those letters were TEENY... or having to cut off the poor beaver's fingers since I misjudged her size) but for a kids toy I don't think anyone will mind.

Thanks for checking in! I'll try not to go so long without posting again!

Believe in Whoooo you are!

2011-09-21T21:09:00.000-07:00

I love owls. I think it's a hold over from when my mother was collecting owls (same time she was my Brownie leader). This little guy is part of a new stamp set fondly referred to around here as the Double D. It's got two D size stamp sets in one package! I'm hoping to see more of those from Close to My Heart. I used the Dreamin' paper with some Craft cardstock and colored the little guy with my markers. I also stamped on a canvas badge button and filled in the stamped image with my markers. So awesome to be able to creation your own accents!

On November 13th I'll be hosting a Christmas Card Workshop. If you live in Calgary and would like to attend please contact me (contact information on the side of this post, phone or email). More details will be posted on Facebook and StampOffEh.com closer to the date.

Thanks for checking in!

Fairy Nice!

2011-08-08T11:13:00.000-07:00

My middle child, Kerowyn, is really into anything pink, sparkly or relating to princesses or fairies. For her birthday this year (last month) we had a Fairy Princess Tea Party after visiting CrocTalk to pet some live reptiles. Interesting combination hey?

Well, in honor of the Fairy portion of her party, I made a card. I used a stamp from Paper Pretties, and the Sophia paper pack from Close to My Heart. To get the real sharp color I first stamped in a light color (in this case Bamboo) then colored with the CTMH markers that match the Sophia paper, and then stamped again in a darker color (Grey Wool).

To make sure the image was exact I used my travel scrap tote (basically a wooden box) and nudged the paper and stamping block right into the one corner and did the same when I stamped the second time. Sometimes the paper slipped a tiny bit so there was some trial and error, but in the end it was super easy to -exactly- stamp over the image with the darker color.

Thanks for checking in!

More Mischief

2011-08-06T23:42:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for your comments on my last post!

This is one of my favorite of the new stamp sets. I used the Mischief paper again, cause... wow, harvest colours much?!

The wreath is two stage stamping, the branches were stamped in Desert Sand and then the berries in Barn Red. There are two other options instead of berries (leaves and flowers). It's versatile and so... freakin... cute!

I topped one of the i's with a pearl just for a little sparkle. I think I might stamp the sentiment in a darker brown next time instead of the red, let it pop a bit more.

Exciting new products!

2011-08-05T16:01:00.001-07:00

Close to My Heart has released the new Autumn/Winter catalogue and wooo am I excited about some of the new stuff.

First let me say that if you are in or around Calgary, Alberta, on August 7th and you would like to attend my Open House, just let me know and I'll pass on my address. We're making a couple cards (originally I was going to use the new paper called Sonoma, but I fell in love with this month's Stamp of the Month).

This is one of the cards I made using the August Stamp of the Month (which you can get for only $5.50 with qualifying purchase, or $19.95). The paper is Mischief, one of the four new paper packs.

For those of you with a Cricut... CTMH now offers a Cricut cartridge complete with images that coordinate with our stamp sets! Feel free to contact me for more information, or stop by the Open House to see it in action!

You're a STAR!

2011-07-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

Another card today using the Miracle paper pack. Nothing special, stamped the star (from Shining Star) and cut it out, used dimentional tape to stick it down. The words are one stamp, to get the two different colors I just bent the stamp around the end of the block (so that only "you're a" was on the bottom of the block and then only "star" was on the bottom). Since the blocks are clear it's super easy to see where to position the words. I could have also used finger daubers to ink the stamp with different colors (making sure to "huff" before stamping so the ink isn't dried out)... I just didn't have any on me when I made the card heh.

On a more personal note, a while back I was sharing my plans for The Butterfly Bed. Well it was completed sometime back and I'm not sure if I shared the results. So.. here is Kerowyn seeing her Butterfly Bed for the first time.

Fun Flock!

2011-06-29T18:31:00.001-07:00

This is one of the cards I made for June's stamping group that I run. I used the Miracle paper pack (by hostess request) and a fun little stamp set called Howdy. In another version of the card I used the cow from the stamp set and the sentiment "I herd you were sick. Hope you're feeling butter!"

Fun flock is a fuzzy powder you can use to add a little something to your crafts. I used it on the mane and tail of the horse. You can also put some in a ziploc baggie with a couple drops of re-inker to dye it any color you want (for brown teddy bears, yellow chicks, green catapillars and more). All you do is use a glue pen on the area you want to flock, pour the fun flock over top and gently press it down. Tap the excess off and return it to the jar.

Lucky Boy!

2011-05-29T22:58:00.000-07:00

My son is nearly four and a half years old... and, I'm ashamed to admit, this is the first time I've scrapbooked (in a full size book anyway) his first birthday party. I used the Lucky paper pack with Kraft cardstock (which is close in color to Desert Sand) I really like the texture of it!

Maybe before he goes to High School I'll get around to scrapbooking his 2nd, 3rd and 4th birthdays!

Just us girls

2011-05-23T16:16:00.000-07:00

We're finally all settled in at the new place and my craft room looks close to normal. Just in time too since I'm hosting my monthly demonstration group here next week! Today we celebrated my youngest's first birthday (for video cuteness see the bottom of the post!).

The project I have to share with you today is from last month's demonstration group. We used the Wings paper pack and did a layout from the Magic book available through CTMH. I offered the ladies in the group two options (black and Vineyard berry, or white and Sweet Leaf). (There is suppose to be a 6x6 picture on the left page but I didn't have any printed).

I love these groups so much for a chance to expand my own creativity. I find I do a lot of the same style of things... cards tend to look the same, the same layouts get used over and over... but when I spend time with the group and watch them assemble my design, with their own twist, I get to do the, "oh! never thought of that!" and "oh, that looks neat!" over and over.

The Magic book that I used for the layout incorporations interactive elements to each page. In this case it was an expanding booklet (3x3 squares). At first I was against the idea, I mean... how do you USE them in page protectors?? Then I bought the book and discovered that there is a tutorial on how to cut your page protector to allow the interactive element to work without removing the page from your book! How cool is that?

Well, it's supper time here and I can smell the salmon is almost finished roasting, so I'll leave you with one more image. Thanks for checking in!!

Happy National Scrapbooking Month!

2011-05-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

May is national scrapbooking month and that means more excuses to scrapbook! Woo!!

Well, now I have news that will make it even more exciting. For this month only the Close to My Heart new consultant kit is 50% off! For $70 you get to pick any three of the six "kits" at the back of the catalogue (you can still purchase more kits on top of the package for the regular $40 each).

If you're interested in taking advantage of this deal simply head to MyCTMH website during the month of May and select "My Opportunities". At the bottom of the page is a link to sign up as a consultant.

Please feel free to contact me by email, phone or text, if you have any questions about this promotion.

I'm still alive!

2011-04-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

No pictures to show you today but wanted to pop in to let you all know I'm still alive. I haven't been buried under a mountain of moving boxes or anything.

I've got my laptop set up to connect to the interwebz but my craft room is still a shamble. The rest of the house is starting to look like someone actually lives here, which is good. The kids are adjusting nicely, Kerowyn's even been sleeping in her own room... alone! Elora is a bit clingy but she's nearly 1 and that's normal.

This weekend... curtains go up!! Then maybe my children will sleep past the sun rising. Gah!

I'm soooo excited to have a whole room for crafting now. And the "media room" has room for two six foot folding tables once I move the couch and coffee table to the edge of the room. SCRAPPING PARTY AT MY HOUSE oh yeah! I promise to post pictures of the craft room once I have it unpacked (I haven't even anchored the shelves to the wall yet!)

Thank you everyone who has left me comments or sent messages during my move, it's really moving to know I have so many friends out there that I've never even met face-to-face. Thank you for helping me feel "connected" to the wider community!!

One more while away

2011-04-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

I don't have internet right now! *gasp* but through the miracles of Blogger I'm able to share the last of three cards I did at Leisa's house, based on her designs. This is still the Lucky paper pack but the blue side, clearly, heh. I used Robot Power this time. And again the vertical border is the handy, dandy, Kraft Color-Ready Borders. The actual move date was pushed back to the 22nd but our phone and internet were still moved on the 17th (have you ever tried to make a last minute change to a telephone service call... haha yeah, no). That means I can check email from my phone but that's about it! I'll try not to go crazy in the last few days. Oh yeah, it also means I won't have Netflix to distract the kids while I'm packing and cleaning. *twitch* Thanks for checking in!

Lucky Dragon!

2011-04-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

As promised here's another of the cards that started out Leisa's design and then was modified by me. I used the Lucky Paper pack, a retired sentiment stamp set and possibly my favorite stamp set of all time, Birthday Blast.

I also got to use some Kraft Color-ready borders which are so much fun. You can ink them up or leave them as-is (which I did in this card) and then it's just cut to the size you want, peel, stick. Thanks for checking in!

Moving sucks!

2011-04-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

I'm still here!! It's one week to the move and I'm horribly behind my self-imposed schedule. The kids really don't like things going into boxes even though they're super excited about moving to the new house.

My crafting time is pretty much nonexistant so it was a really nice break to head over to my friend Leisa's house for her spring card workshop. While there I made several cards of her own design and then changed three of them around a bit.

This is one of them, it uses the Sophia paper pack along with the Heartfelt Treasures stamp set. The sentiment reads, "the greatest treasures are t hose invisible, to the eye but found by the heart." I added some bling and then the sorbet dash ribbon which is currently in the "While Supplies Last" section of my website (74% off!!).

Thanks for checking in! I won't be posting much in the next couple weeks, but I'll try and have something new up for you to see!

Mayberry spread

2011-03-27T19:20:00.001-07:00

Today I held the second gathering of our monthly scrapping group (thank you, Kelly, for hosting!). We worked with the Mayberry paper pack at the request of our hostess and made this two page layout. Since this picture was taken I have added photos of Grandpa Martens doing various fun things with the kids. I used the Bohemian alphabet to add a title on the left page (right above the stripes and below the circles).

I used so many stamp sets on this page! The Mayberry workshop exclusive stamp was used for the flowers and to stamp the yellow pattern on the canvas badge buttons.

The flower stems and the border around the edges was done using Spring Up. And the sentiment comes from a retired stamp set called Flower Child.

I'm really quite happy with how this page turned out! It was even more fun to see how the ladies in the group took it and made it their own.

The move is progressing slowly, packing isn't easy with three little kids when two of them are pulling things back OUT of the boxes. At least one of them is content to crawl around in the playroom... speaking of, here's a video of Elora playing Peek-a-Boo the day she turned 10 months. Isn't she cute?!

CTMH Promotion for Relief Efforts in Japan

2011-03-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Close to My Heart is holding a wonderful promotion. This A-size stamp (typically $8.95 Cnd) will be available until April 30th for $5 + tax and shipping.

Close to My Heart will donate 100% of the profits from the sale of this stamp to the Red Cross to benefit relief efforts in Japan.

Contact me if you'd like to order one (email, text or phone, details on the side of my blog)!

Message Can

2011-03-23T13:44:00.000-07:00

Elora is bottle fed now which means I have tons and tons of formula cans (powdered stuff) going through the house. I started saving a few thinking I would either donate them to a youth group for crafts or make something with one of my monthly gatherings. I intended on saving... oh... six or so. I estimate I have about two dozen. With the move looming on the horizon it was time to DO something with them!

There are several ideas I have an I intend to do a few more soon (tm), but the one I'm showing you today is the Message Can for kids. I tell my children every day, several times a day, "I love you" and "I'm proud of you". But as Koen learns to read I wanted to make a place I could put little notes for him, messages like how it made me smile when he did X, or how sweet it was that he did Y. The key is to drop the messages in there when he's not looking so it's always a surprise when there's a new note! (He also has a mailbox for when Grandma sends him letters or parcels).

Of course I'll do similar cans for the girls, but for now... I used Hooligan paper and some dollar store ribbon. The "goo" is a Martha Stewart edge punch. For the hole in the top I used a punch from Stampin' Up and made a stencil, then cut out the hole by hand.

Another use for these cans is the Baby's Firsts can. When Koen was born it was super easy to jot down in my pre-purchased book when he first crawled or when his first tooth came in. The details were then transferred to his baby book, which I had lots of time to make! With the arrival of Kerowyn things got a bit hectic. What I have recorded is stuck on a sticky note and shoved into her incomplete baby book (she's nearly 3 now). Elora... baby book? haha what?

So the Baby's First can works the same way as the child's Message Can. When your baby does something remarkable you jot down the date and time and a sentence to remind you what it was and drop it in the can. It can sit on a shelf and be all pretty and when you are ready to work on the baby book, all those "firsts" are in one safe place.

One more for the road... the Snaps can (thank you Legally Blonde). A family writes notes about positive things they've seen the rest of the family do during the day and after supper (or when ever) they sit down together and take turns drawing them out and reading them. The movie reference would then have everyone say, "Snaps for you!" and much finger snapping. It's a great "feel good" bond building exercise, but better for children who can read.

Thanks for checking in!

Embossing Day Four: Scratch and Sniff

2011-03-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I posted on my Embossing Extravaganza, I apologize for that. Today I'm revisiting a technique a friend of mine taught me a few years ago (thank you Chris!) called Scratch and Sniff. When she showed me it was with clear embossing powder, but I wanted to try something different.

First of all you need your sniff... I used kool-aid powder. Yes, you read that right. I would like to try it again sometime with jello powder since I can't find any Green Apple in Kool-aid. I chose tropical punch and mixed two different color embossing powders together (Cranberry and Outdoor Denim) to try and match the purple kool-aid a bit. I added some sparkly embossing powder after I'd mixed it... it needed sparkle.

Next I grabbed my new Mayberry stamp set and stamped a few plums in versamark and dipped them in my mixture. Careful when heat embossing here because the kool-aid can make it a bit tricky to heat evenly and you may find it starts to bubble and even burn!

Once you're done let it cool off... then rub it with your finger and sniff!
I completed my card using Close to My Heart's retired paper Bella... one of the main colors is "Smokey Plum", it had to be done! Not related to embossing but... if you're inking, watch for fingerprints when you put down pieces of your card (in other words, I have no excuses for those purple fingerprints on the card lol).

Thanks for stopping by!

Moving sucks

2011-03-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Saint Patrick's day!

I'm still in the throes of a packing nightmare as I prepare to move to my new place. Three small children really complicate things!! We take possession of our new house on April 1st (hahah, no joke).

Last night was our CTMH Unit meeting (just me and my up-line, Leisa)... I use the term "meeting" really loosely. We craft, drink coffee, chat, and watch re-runs of Glee. But I did get a card and a two page spread finished. The pages I can't show you until after the monthly gathering... but the card I can! (Pictures always look so much better when Leisa takes them!)

This card uses the Mayberry paper with the March SotM called Sensational Seasons. I used our watercolor pencils to color in the bunny and eggs, using Honey, Smoothie and Olive for the eggs so they'd match. The shape was cut out using my nestabilities, the border punch is from Stampin' Up.

Edit to leave you with more cute!!

Scrapbox Give-away

2011-03-08T08:30:00.000-08:00

This is an amazing give-away. So while I don't normally link to give-aways in my blog... wow. Just... wow. There's this Canada Workbox Giveaway of a whole "The Original Scrapbox"

If you want to enter to, you'll need to head over to Andrea's blog!

Additional entries for the contest can be made at the following blogs:

Canadian Nickel

Pink Star Creations

Paper Inspirations

Random Acts of Krafting

Chris's Creations

A Mom After God's Own Heart

Jenny's Scrapbooking Haven

Momma K Crafts

More Sweetheart

2011-03-04T08:55:00.001-08:00

This is the other half of the projects we did at my first "group" gathering. (It's a group that agrees to meet and make a minimum purchase and rotate which participant gets the hostess rewards). My iphone still doesn't pick up the reds and pinks very well...

I used the Sweetheart paper pack on black cardstock. The pink cardtstock is Cotton Candy. The butterfly is an exclusive stamp for the Sweetheart Workshop on the Go and "Elora" was stamped with Old World Alphabet. The rose was made from our new designer ribbon pink collection.

The pictures are all from Elora's first few days (few hours in the case of the one with me holding her, that's at the hospital still!). This will become the first page in her baby book!

Thanks for checking in!

There be (more) dragons!

2011-02-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

Here it is! Using the Sweetheart paper, some black and cranberry embossing powder and "Birthday Blast" and "So Lucky" stamp sets.

I spritzed the dragon's square with a mix of ink and shimmer paint to give it a glimmer you can't see in a photograph. The dragon and balloons are textured and a bit shiny due to the embossing powder.

One of the ladies in the group did a version of the card with both design papers flipped over (the black dots becomes white with pink dots and the red cross hatch becomes black) and then did the balloons in pink, and used pink ribbon, it looked great!

You may have noticed I'm really liking the dragons. Maybe. Just a little.

Thanks for checking in!

First day and blog candy

2011-02-27T08:17:00.001-08:00

Today is the first day of myCTMH group (a group that meets once a month and agrees to buy a minimum of product and then trades who gets the hostess duties and benefits) and I'm both stoked and nervous! I've designed one 12x12 layout and one card using the requested paperpack Sweetheart. I've finished cutting all the materials for five sets (though some people can't make it so I'll be assembling three myself hehe) and I HOPE I've packed everything I need.

I'll be posting the pictures after the event... no sneek peeks!

In the meantime though, my upline is having a give-away on her blog to celebrate reaching 200 members! She's got a great blog, well worth the look!

Remodel of Aspire Card

2011-02-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

I liked the Aspire card I did so much that I remade it for a card swap. This one was much easier than the dragon to make!!

I used Wings paper, with Whisper White and Vineyard Berry cardstock. Then inked the image, from the Aspire stamp set, in Juniper and the sentiment in black.

"If you don't leap, you'll never know what it's like to fly."

House of Plague!

2011-02-21T13:36:00.000-08:00

So after Valentine's day my entire household got sick (we're still battling the remnants of icky). But I'm back and I'm posting, even if I don't have the next installment of the embossing extravaganza!

Instead I'm going to show you a card I did for a swap!

This card uses the Lucky paper pack and the Birthday Blast stamp set, both are new this catalogue. I used olive embossing powder for the dragon and the green balloon. Let me tell you... cutting things out for a card swap? means lots of cutting!! I made 8 cards... so I cut out 8 dragons and 24 balloons *dies*.

Away Notification!

2011-01-28T09:02:00.001-08:00

I'll be on a posting hiatus until after Valentine's day. When I'm back to posting we'll dive into the exciting world of dry emboss! Woo!

Sneak Peek! "Aspire"

2011-01-25T09:30:00.000-08:00

Well I may not have liked how the original card looked from my card swap (see previous post for remade card) but I still really liked how the base looked. It just needed another image.

This stamp set is called "Aspire" and will be available in one more week! It has three dancers in different poses, two flourishes (one with the word Aspire) and two phrases. "Dance as if no one is watching," and "If you don't leap, you'll never know what it's like to fly."

I used the Wings paper pack with Juniper ink, the dancer is done in Desert Sand. I topped it off with some wide satin ribbon and some bling.

Thank you to Leisa for taking such a nice photo of the card!

Remade card

2011-01-22T09:01:00.000-08:00

I wasn't happy with how my card from the Heat Emboss Resist post turned out, so I changed it up a bit. I switched out the ribbon and the design paper and then my upline, Leisa, took a really nice picture of it for me!

This also happens to be the card I'm using for my part in the "Thank You" card swap I'm hosting! Typically a swap is "5+1" or "7+1" where you make 6 cards, or 8 cards, but get one less back. The extra card is kept by the hostess. In the case of this swap the extra card is joining the donations going to the Ronald McDonald House here in Calgary, Alberta.

I'm really happy with the changes. I'm using Juniper, Sweet Leaf, White Daisy and Black as my colors and the design paper is from the Wings paper collection. The stamp is from Find Your Style, this month's Stamp of the Month.

Thanks for checking in!

Embossing Day Three: Bleaching

2011-01-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, bleaching. You can use bleach while crafting, for many purposes, but this one is one of my favorites.

A few tips before I begin. Wear clothing you don't mind getting dirty or ruined, just in case, bleach is not the same as washable inks! Also, don't work in a small windowless room, it's still BLEACH.

Not all cardstocks work well with bleaching, I suggest testing a corner of the cardstock you want to use (you can still use the other side of the paper). The best kind are the "full bleed" type cardstocks, not the "white core".

I picked three pieces from my scrap bin and, using the Heat Emboss Basics, I heat embossed my image in detail clear. You can use a color embossing powder too, the stamp I was using had a lot of tiny detail and I wanted the color of the paper to shine through.

Once the emboss dried (it doesn't take long) I used a paint brush to spread a little bit of bleach over the areas I wanted to draw attention to. I needed several coats on the baby images. Tip, if it's not going light enough, fast enough, try applying a little bit of heat with your heat tool while the bleach is still wet. Daub with a tissue to take off excess bleach if you put it on a bit thick.

I wasn't really thrilled with how these turned out, I mean, they look great but I couldn't get "into" making a card with them... so they've been added to my decorative scraps collection and may get made into something later.

Thanks for checking in!

Valetine's for Charity

2011-01-20T08:14:00.000-08:00

Wow have things been a whirlwind around here! First we all got sick (poor Koen had to miss his friend's birthday party and he was NOT happy about it) then we found out we'll be moving at the end of our lease as the owners would like to sell the house (we would buy but it's a house we'll outgrow in a year or two). So I haven't been posting much as crafting has been limited.

Last night, however, was my monthly "meeting" with my upline Leisa. (We put on reruns of Glee or CSI and papercraft... sometimes with new product). Leisa gave me a HUGE bag of Valentine cards for the Ronald McDonald House that I collect for and I made a few more.

This card uses red cardstock that a friend gave me that was recycled from a closing business, two punches and treat cups from Stampin' Up, and the sentiment is from Clost to My Heart, a stamp set called "A Little Everything".

I wanted to thank everyone who has given me cards to include in the donation drop. As soon as my currect "Thank you" card swap is concluded I'll be taking the whole lot of them in.

Blog Award

2011-01-20T08:12:00.000-08:00

Well, I would like to thank Anne Marie for awarding me with the Stylish Blogger Award! Anne Marie has a fabulous blog, she's got an eye for details and it really makes a difference in her projects. Thank you, Anne Marie, for thinking of me!

The rules of this award are simple:

Thank the person who gave it to you and link to their blog (done)

Share 8 things about yourself

Share the award with 8 other "Stylish Bloggers" and share the bloggin' love.

Well... 8 things about me. I'm not even sure what I shared last time I got one of these, so if there's any repeats, please don't be angry!

I play World of Warcraft. Actually... my husband and I play World of Warcraft. With my mother. And some of my nephews. And my sister plays now and then. Even my 4 year old knows how to make a character move around and jump in the game! I was playing while in labor with my second baby (the doc said "go home and do something relaxing" so I did!). I was playing 12 hours after my third was born (for those who play, we got 6/12 in ICC10 before Cataclysm came out).

I love creative writing but most of my writing (that I publish to the web) is based on role playing games that I've played... so World of Warcraft, Dungeons and Dragons and Vampire: The Masquerade.

I'm very outgoing and creative, I really enjoy "story telling" or "running" the games mentioned in the above point. Think of it like a narrator in a TV show, but the narrator has control over what the "extras" say and do. The "main actors" are other people playing made-up characters and making their own choices. It means I have to be ready for ANYTHING! I love it!

I plan on home schooling because if I'm going to pay for "free public education" I might as well do it myself and at least know what my kids are learning! I'm very grateful that I'm able to do this and hope that our circumstances don't change so I can continue to do so (Koen starts kindergarten this year!!)

I'm really nervous about hosting my first monthly stamping group. I've been a consultant with Close to My Heart for four months and I've only co-hosted one card making party... now I'm hosting a monthly group. Panic!

I hate eating ice cream or pudding or cake with crunchy bits like nuts. I want to mush the ice cream to the roof of my mouth and I can't if there's walnuts in it!

I never drink enough water. I really should to get myself more hydrated... but, it's so much water!

I'm really bad at thinking up things to share about myself.

So now I'm to pick 8 people out of the hundred or more blogs I follow to award this to. Wow!

Starla with StarFireEtc. She's just starting out in the blog-o-sphere and has some absolutely amazing photos. Very striking. She also dabbles in papercrafts. And... she's one of the nicest people I know, I'm glad to be able to call her my friend.

Okay, I know I've picked Leisa with Big Red Scraps before, but she's my friend and my upline and I know she's posting an amazing card today. She's also the founder of the CTMH community with the same name, Big Red Scraps.

Colleen with DragonflyInk Creations also has some pretty amazing stuff, and also happens to be one of my best friends.

Kathy Braun with Lucky Stamper is not someone I know "offline" but I wish I did. She's always got a kind, and sincere, word. Her dog is really sweet too and Kerowyn just loves him to pieces without ever having met him.

Twyla with Tywla's Heart is still relatively new to me but I'm enjoying participating in her many swaps and seeing the projects she posts on her blog.

Jodi with My Creative Expression has a really nice blog too, I always enjoy checking out what she's posted.
I always notice Frances with StampOwl. It may be that she shares my first name, but I think it has more to do with the really great cards she posts!
Stephanne with StagnantlyCreative is also new to me, but her style is fabulous! She goes for an older vintage style, but the images (in her last post, for example) aren't the kind I would think "fit", and they totally do!

Okay, goodness, that took a long time. I think I might follow a few too many blogs. But I can't unfollow any of them, they are all too great!

Thanks again, Anne Marie!

Valentines for Charity

2011-01-13T08:04:00.000-08:00

Next month is Valentine's day and while some of us older folks are a bit jaded toward another Hallmark occassion, there are a lot of sick little kids at Ronald McDonald House Southern Alberta that would absolutely love to give and to get a Valentine. Since many of them are bed ridden they don't have an opportunity to make a card for mom or dad or siblings, and certainly any parent glued to a child's bedside doesn't want to take time to pick out a card at Walmart.

Normally I would do this as several different swaps over several different websites, but I waited too long so I'm asking for donations instead.

If you're willing to donate a Valentine card or two please email me at ruth(at)stampoffeh(dot)com for my address.

If anyone would like more information on adopting a Ronald McDonald House in your area (to coordinate cards and crafting supplies being donated) let me know, I'm happy to help get you started!!

Thank you!
Ruth

The Hamburger Cupcake

2011-01-11T08:14:00.000-08:00

I've seen these hamburger cupcakes on various places around the web and I promised I'd make them for Koen's birthday. Some of you may recall Elmo and Cookie Monster cupcakes from this summer, which were a total hit. The hamburger cupcakes were easy in theory but I learned a few things that would have made it easier had I known them in advance.

For instance, you want really small cupcakes. Like, less than 1/3 of the cup small. (The package says to fill the cup with batter to 1/3, yeah, no). And you want really thin brownie, I ended up splitting my "paddies" in half!

This all makes more sense if I explain the hamburger cupcake. Bake cupcakes with yellow cake mix. Bake brownies and use a circle cookie cutter to make your burger paddies. Slice baked cupcakes in half horizontally to make your bun. Add yellow, green and red icing on top of your paddy for condiments. For an added touch you can sprinkle sesame seeds on the top (to make them stick moisten your finger and run it over the top of the cupcake). I opted to draw each child's initial on the top of the burger instead.

I also learned that it's actually best to make your "ketchup" kind of runny because kids think it rocks when the icing pours out the side of the burger.

I know they were a hit because every family member Koen spoke to after the party had the same conversation with him...

Family Member: Happy Birthday Koen, did you have a nice party?

Koen: Thank you. We had CUPCAKES, and it was a HAMburger! It was COOL! And there were bababalooons!!

So while they didn't turn out as "pretty" as the hamburger cupcakes I've seen around the web, they turned out just right for my 4 year old. Now to come to terms with being the mother of a 4 year old!!

Thanks for checking in!

Embossing, Day Two: Resist Embossing

2011-01-10T09:23:00.000-08:00

Welcome back! Today I'm going to go over an embossing technique that uses heat emboss from the previous post.

To start this project you need the usual suspects of paper, ink, and stamps. Look for a stamp that has lots of surface to it, not something that is nothing but itty bitty lines. For the embossing portion you'll need "detail clear" embossing powder, versamark pad and your heat tool. You'll also need a brayer, or a sponge, or some other means of covering large areas with ink.

Start off with a light color paper, I picked White Daisy because I'm making a card with the Wings paper pack. Stamp your image a couple times (I picked the butterfly and the word "Soar" from this month's Stamp of the Month, "Find Your Style") and cover in your powder. Tap off the excess and apply heat from your heat tool. Take the time to shine a bright light (or just hold it up to the light) on your paper to look for "dull" spots, that'll be spots that the heat tool didn't quite melt all the powder.

Next apply your ink. I'm not adept at using a brayer so mine came out a bit uneven, I typically use a sponge or even run the ink pad over the paper (careful with this one though, if the ink pad is fairly "juicey" it could oversoak your paper!). Edit to add: Because the embossed image is glossy it doesn't "hold" the ink... this is the "resist" part of the resist emboss!

Now I've got white butterflies on Sweet Leaf green paper!

Hint: you can use patterned paper to end up with patterned butterflies on a darker paper (in that case you'd have to use ink dark enough to hide the pattern).

But wait, there's more!! For three easy payments of... no, wait that's not right.

Let your paper dry completely, I mean REALLY dry... and stamp your image again in some of the larger "blank" areas. Apply your powder (this is why it has to be dry, or your powder will stick where you don't want it to) and heat and now brayer or sponge a darker color! I used Juniper, again to coordinate with the paper pack I'm using.

So how cool is that? You now have two sets of your image... white and green.

I did a third layer using black ink for the final bit. Experiment with it. Use your lighter colors first. See how the first butterfly seems to be "on top"?

Tip: if you find that the ink is staying on your image (such as when you sponge) just rub it gently with a very slightly damp tissue or a nearly dry baby wipe. That will take the ink off your embossed image without damaging your paper.

I've done this sort of resist emboss technique before. In that case I stamped a word in a dark ink and then stamped over it with the embossed image and sponged another color over that... leaving the word visible like through a window. My friend Colleen showed us that one, loved it!

Here's one more example of resist. This is a 6x6 layout I made for a consultant swap. The dress form on the left is detail clear, I used white daisy pigment ink to give that smokey look around it before adding a flower. (Sorry the sentiment can't be seen, poor lighting where I was taking pictures!)

Remember that your pigment based inks (like black and white) will stick to your previous layers a bit more, you'll need to clean off the embossed image before the ink dries too much.

Thanks for checking in, I hope you enjoyed today's embossing technique. Please, if there's a particular embossing technique you'd like to see, comment! I certainly don't claim to know about ALL of them and I'd love to learn about new techniques!

Embossing, Day One: Heat Emboss Basics

2011-01-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

There are tons of embossing techniques, I'm sure there are plenty I don't know about. There are a bunch of tools too, from the Cuttlebug to the "Embossing Heat Tool" (which is not what we call it in my scrapping group).

To help others make heads or tails of embossing powder versus embossing plates, I'm doing an embossing series! Expect to see at least one post a week with a new embossing style (some use the same technique with a twist).

First up is the basic heat emboss. This can be a lot of fun for first timers especially if you're using metalic embossing powder. For this technique you need a "heat tool" (seen in the far right of the first picture), embossing powder, paper, a stamp and versamark. (You can use regular ink, but versamark holds the powder better). It's better to use a stamp that has a large solid area.

Once you've picked out your tools, stamp your image in the versamark... it won't dry too quickly, but you'll still want to be quick adding the powder. I make sure to have an extra sheet of paper (if I don't have an embossing tray handy) that I can "pour" the excess powder onto. Tap the back of your image to dislodge extra powder (and to get rid of the bits that end up outside your image). Then turn on your heat tool... give it a moment to warm up and then apply the heat to the powder. Don't get too close or you'll burn the powder or paper!

For the record... a hair dryer does NOT work. You need lots of heat with very little airflow.

The heat "melts" the powder, it's more obvious with the metalic powders, keep your heat tool moving so you don't over do it.

This kind of embossing is great for making your own suedo embellishments. Stamp an image in one color, stamp it again on a scrap and emboss part of it, cut out the embossed part and popdot it down.

Here's an example of white embossing powder on colored cardstock, you can see how it goes from "what? that's WHITE?" to "oooh shiney white!"

Another item to cross off The List

2010-12-30T08:54:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great holiday. The kids got little pre-schooler friendly handheld games for Christmas so I got my iphone back... that was present enough hehe.

Aside from visiting with family in from out of town I'm waiting, with nearly held breath, for the new CTMH 2011 catalogues to arrives. I've SEEN it, it's amazing! There isn't a single new paper pack that I won't be ordering for my own use, never mind for my monthly group. Super excited!

While not officially back to crafting, I do have something craftish related that's been on my List (you know, that monster list that never seems to get smaller of stuff To Do) for ages, so I'm posting some pictures! Six years ago we bough a set of table and 8 chairs from IKEA that had white canvas seats... well that won't do! I recovered them nearly immediately with a nice yellow and blue pattern that suited the house we were in at the time. This was before I had kids...

Now the chairs, all but the two that aren't around the table, all look horrid! Covered in stains from chocolate milk to raspberry jam to goodness only knows what else (remember, my kids are all under the age of four!) The pattern is wearing thin in places and, even though I've scrubbed the seats with upholstery cleaner, the stains remain.

I was determined to get them recovered... and to purchase heavy weight clear vinyl to top them off with! I've done half the chairs now and I'm really happy with the results.

Aside from the pictures I have some tips for anyone else doing this kind of simple recovering job:

Fabricland often has 50% off sales on their upholstery fabric. But remember, if covering in Vinyl too, you don't "need" upholstery fabric... you can use anything that doesn't stretch.
If you have little kids that fight over where to sit... get some nice fabric for them too! I did one for each kid even though the smallest isn't sitting in a chair yet. (I used "licensed" cotton.)
If you are recovering with kids in mind, do it in layers... your fabric, their fabirc, then the vinyl. This way if the kids get tired of the pattern you picked, it's easy to take off the vinyl then their fabric and redo the vinyl... leaving you with a matching chair!
When stapling, do one layer at a time or your layers will get bunched.
Also remember to start in the middle on any side and work toward the edges.
Triple check that your pattern is the right direction.
Check for a 4th time that your pattern is the right direction.
When working with straight lines (lines or squares or other linear style pattern) don't pull too tightly "across" the pattern... in my case I pulled tight front to back but was careful left to right.
Put in a favorite movie for the kids and wait until they are engrossed or they'll hear the staple gun and try and help you cut fabric.
Speaking of cutting fabric, use kitchen scissors on your vinyl, but use your nice fabric scissors for the fabric.
Don't fret about straight cuts on your fabric! You're recovering chairs, not making a wedding gown!! (My sewing friends would have been horrified watching me cut this fabric).
Cut away fabric from the screw housing on the seat so you aren't fighting with reattaching it to the chair.
Trim the vinyl ruthlessly on the corners or your seat won't go back on the chair frame. No seriously.
While the seat is off the frame, go ahead and wash the frame!
Have tums... or a good stiff drink... ready.
Don't try and do it all in one day.

Here are the seats all finished. I love the fairies, which are obviously Tinkerbelle and friends but in a style I've never seen before! Kerowyn keeps changing her mind on whether she likes Minnie or Tinkerbelle better, thankfully Elora doesn't care yet since she's still in a high chair.

Thanks for checking in! I'll be back soon with my embossing series. Please feel free to suggest different types of embossing, I'm sure I've missed a few!

Book distressing

2010-12-20T10:49:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of friends that read fantasy or play fantasy role playing games. I love stories like the Hobbit and movies from books like Lord of the Rings. I play World of Warcraft with my husband, mother and best friend. So when I saw this book at Costco the other day, I had to pick it up! It's technically a photo album but I just couldn't see it that way (scrap bookers don't usually keep photos that way afterall).

Instead I could see an old tome, perhaps an alchemist kept her potion recipes in it, maybe an archeologist found it and discovered a guide to ancient dragons.

It also reminded me that I had been looking for this style of photo album to put my recipe cards into. This way you can write out your recipe, easily "re"sort them if you get another recipe and you're storing them alphabetically, and if you spill something on the card? no problem! Just make a new card!

But the book looked so new! It's bonded leather so it has that matte look to it and I have to be careful distressing it. I took a deep breath and dived in with my sanding block. Every now and then I wiped it down with a damp cloth to get rid of the dust. Then I "oiled" it by gently rubbing it with a cloth with a teensy bit of oil on it

I was going to do more but the finish was coming off a bit too easily on the embossed design and the spine, so I topped it off with some mocha pearls and called it a finished project.

I don't expect to get too many posts made between now and the new year... but in the new year I'm going to do a series on different styles of embossing. What kinds of embossing techniques have you heard of? Which is your favorite? Is there one you just can't figure out? or just can't stand doing?

Thanks for checking in!

When Kids Go Wild

2010-12-15T15:57:00.000-08:00

Oh boy, my kids love to craft. We have designated crafting times and work with paint, paper, pens, pencils, crayons, sparkles... you name it! Every now and then, though, they'll get into my crafting stuff unsupervised (I can't be in two places at once!). Anything dangerous is out of reach (well I guess just about anything is a choking hazard... but I mean chemicals and stabbity things) but the markers... my markers are in reach. There is video evidence (at the end of this post) of what happens when a nearly-four-year-old decides he wants to disguise himself and mommy is feeding the baby in the other room.

In the meantime, I have more sneak peeks of Wings. This time I'm using the stamp set A Game and a flower from Rosy Regards. Both these stamp sets, and the paper, will be available January 1st. Very excited (have I mentioned I'm excited??)

And now for that video evidence!

Christmas Card!

2010-12-13T22:55:00.000-08:00

More Christmas stuff?? Don't worry, we'll be starting in on Valentine's Day soon!

I fell in love with that broad ribbon a month or so back and purchased it figuring I'd add a nice big bow to my door wreath... but what do I do with the rest of it? Cut it down, pull out the wire and make a CARD out of it, of course!

Edit: As suggested I entered this (for the second time ever in my life of crafting) in a challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments! The irony here is that I didn't actually use any stamps! No ink even!

I used a chipboard snowflake and pre-stickied blue pearls from Close to My Heart, a Martha Stewart snowflake edge punch and then cardstock and shimmer spritz from Stampin' Up.

We're using our 12 Days of Christmas calendar with the kids... I put their evening vitamins in it (which are like gummie bears anyway). The only issue is that my 2 year old wants to pick the number SHE wants, not the sequential number. That and keeping it somewhere they can see it without being able to touch it. That many vitamins won't do them any harm, but it'll certainly make them feel uncomfortable!

Wings and Plenty for Twenty

2010-12-12T18:37:00.000-08:00

I am... in love with the new "Wings" collection from Close to My Heart. It's not available to the public just yet, but today I got to play with the paper and stamps and put together a couple of projects.

See that nifty ribbon? it COMES that way, already pleated!!

The bird is from the January Stamp of the Month and the sentiment is from Dreams, also released in January.

It may be hard to tell but the colors are Juniper, Sweet Leaf, Vineyard Berry and black... I also used a bit of Garnet ink on the front of the bird.

I also got an order today! Aside from the approximately $20 worth of items I ordered, I also got "Miracle" (D1140) for the Plenty for Twenty free stamp deal this month! I love that it's a surprise which retired stamp you're going to get... I've got another parcel which should arrive tomorrow!

If you'd like to get your own free stamp set ($26.95 Cnd value) just place an order through MyCTMH site of $20 (before tax and shipping)... during the check out you'll see an item added to your list titled, "Plenty for Twenty".

Edit: I changed the top picture to one taken in better light.

AAAAAH!

2010-12-10T08:14:00.000-08:00

*flail* my parcel with the new (new in January) "Wings" product from Close to My Heart is ON THE WAY TO MY HOUSE RIGHT NOW!! I'm so excited. This stuff is so amazing. SNEAK PEEK!!

There are tons of new stamp sets, a gorgeous paper pack (level 1 and 2)... some amazing new accessories. Look at the "joy" stamped in the picture, that's the new alphabet stamp set.

I can't even sell this stuff yet!! I'm not going to get anything done for the next week I'll be too busy playing with the new stuff.

At least I'll have new projects to post in my blog again! Thank you all for your patience during my time of technological crisis.

And now... for the winner of my draw, a brand new copy of Dr. Linda Bacon's "Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight".

Our friends at Random.org provided me with a random number based on the number of comments... starting at the top and working my way down we come up with Erin who said:

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANT.
Hey, I already follow you here AND on Facebook, though, does this count as two entries, or do I need to comment again to be like HEY I ALREADY FOLLOW YOU"

Congratulations Erin! Send me an email with your shipping address and I'll get that ordered right away!

Woo! Computer is back!

2010-12-08T14:26:00.000-08:00

Thank you for your patience and computer-condolences! My computer is back and (mostly) better.

I wanted to pop in and update about the computer but also remind everyone that this is the last day to enter my draw! Enter! Enter often! Tomorrow my kids will be drawing a random name.

Still here!

2010-12-03T12:37:00.000-08:00

WOW has this week been eventful! My computer is now at the computer doctor. I'm using a laptop but don't have all my archived emails in Outlook (lesson learned!). We're putting up the Christmas Tree on saturday, PHOTO OP! Which could be a good thing since I bought a new SD card for my aging camera, hopefully that will fix the problem I've been having (if not fix the data recovery issue).

At any rate, this month is pretty exciting in Close to My Heart land. If you spend $20 through my CTMH site you will get a surprise FREE stamp set (D size, so a $26.95 value if you're Canadian) and you won't pay shipping on the free stamp! (Americans can order here.) I can neither confirm nor deny that I may or may not have placed two qualifying orders through my own site (instead of through the consultant order entry) to be surprised myself.

Projects are piling up as I wait for my electronic baby to come home from the shop, but hopefully I'll have some kid-free craft time really soon!

Thanks for checking in!

Another jaunt down memory lane

2010-11-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

I'm holding a give-away!

I wish there was a way to bottle the essence of a baby to enjoy again once they are older and able to, oh... speak. "No, mommy!" is what I hear often these days. Ah well. Here's another older page of my oldest, his first time (or close enough to it) eating. I feel so bad for the little guy... you know how you're suppose to give them something easy to digest, like rice cereal. Well, I mixed up the boxes and gave him OAT cereal. He had such a belly ache.

Course there's the time I swear I mutilated him. I slipped while clipping his fingernails and made him cry. There was blood. I didn't clip his nails for months afterward. Even now when I'm clipping any of them (from 6 months to 4 years) I hold my breath and tense up.

This was so long ago I don't even remember where the paper came from! I used a corner punch and stickers from Creative Memories though. A friend loaned me a stencil for the letters that really went well with the blue design paper.

Let you in on a little secret... the letters are all wonky cause I know I wouldn't be able to line them up. I think it works okay though.

I'm making great progress on the commission card, soon I'll be diving into some of the other projects I've wanted to work on. I'm thinking of making an Explosion Box! They look fun!

Thanks for checking in!

Memory Lane!

2010-11-24T07:43:00.000-08:00

I was looking through my first two scrap books (both done over four years ago), wow how things have changed.

Here's a two page spread (in two photos, sorry... the photos were actually taken years ago. With a REAL camera, not an iphone.) from my "Family" book. That's Koen in the picture... at the time I only had one baby!

I'm fairly certain the paper is a combination of Creative Memories and "some paper from the store". I know the base is Creative Memories... back before they went to true 12x12 paper.

Since the photos were taken I did finish the journaling.

It's so neat to look back and see how much your style has changed over the years.

Thanks for checking in!

Please check out my give-away!

Non-crafting give-away!

2010-11-23T09:34:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm still working on a commission so I don't have any new crafts to show you today (but man have I got a lot of ideas to put into action!).

I'm also preparing for a craft fair on Nov 28th. Since I don't carry a lot of stock and don't have a ton of things already made, I'm hoping to use it as more of a "hey, I'm here, come join my monthly party!" event. I'll be using the left over kits from the card making party as Make&Take projects.

Today I want to give away something not crafting related. It's a book, and I'll order it from either Amazon.com or Amazon.ca to be delivered right to the winner. Before I get into details of the give-away I want to say... this book is for anyone regardless of size. It's not about fat people getting thin, or thinner people gaining weight. It's not about becoming "the" healthy size determined by society... it's about being healthy and letting your body be the size it was meant to be. Whether that's a size 2 or a size 22.

If I could, I would give this book to every member of my family. Not because I think they could "stand to lose a few pounds" but because I'm so tired of hearing people living their lives around calorie restricted diets and being miserable in the name of "health". Health is more than physical fitness. It's mental health, and emotional health too. The only reason it's not on the Christmas list for all of them is because I know it would be recieved as a comment about weight that needs fixing.

I grew up thinking I was fat. I was constantly trying to fit into smaller jeans or a tighter shirt and I saw my thighs and butt as HUGE and it was a Bad Thing. When I look back over pictures of myself through those years...wow, was I ever not the image I thought I was. I looked healthy, happy, vibrant and slender. But I shied away from the camera and as a result there are not a ton of photos of me from that time.

So anyway, I ramble. I'm doing this give-away for my family... specifically my kids, because I don't want them to grow up thinking they are disgusting, broken, objects that need to be "fixed".
Here's the prize!

Dr. Linda Bacon's "Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight"

How to enter:
Leave a comment on this post.

How to enter a second time:
Follow me here or on Facebook and leave another comment here. (Edit for Erin's sake lol: yes, if you're already a follower commenting to remind me counts as an entry.)

How to enter a third time:
Post about this give-away on your blog or a social networking site and leave another comment here.

If I reach 100 followers during this give-away, I'll draw a second name to also get the book!

Entries will be accepted until midnight (MST) Dec 8th and the winner (or winners!) will be drawn on Dec 9th.

Thank you for checking in!

Christmas Ornaments

2010-11-20T23:29:00.001-08:00

I fell in love with Close to My Heart's "Dimensional Elements: Ornaments" (no word of a lie, I bought 4 packs!). You get six ornaments (2 large, 2 teardrop, 1 oblong and 1 small) to play around with and tons of options on how to decorate them.

Take, for example, the pink one I've got here. The chipboard design is partially covered with the design paper (Jingle paper, inked with tulip) to set it apart from the other three I have (four packs, remember? hehe). I added some flowers and a butterfly from Spring Blossom flower pack. And, of course, for my little diva... some bity sparkles!

For the larger ornament I used the Mistletoe paper, chocolate ink and some pearls. I decided to add the top piece of chipboard on an angle to better frame the faces of my husband and youngest. On the back of each ornament I've put the names of those in the photo and the date. I won't say who is getting which ornaments since I know my mom reads this blog (hi mom!) but I think they'll be well recieved.

Thanks for checking in! I'm not posting as frequently right now because I'm working on a new commission piece. So excited!

Two more layouts

2010-11-18T19:55:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone!

In a couple months my oldest... my first baby... will be FOUR. I've been a mother for almost four years! Hard to believe my mother was right about how "time flies".

On Koen's first birthday we got a huge cake (and I mean so big you could have smuggled him out of the house in it) with a train on it. Even at 12 months he was all about the trains. We cut the cake in half and planted one half on the tray of his high chair. It took a while before he dug in, he wasn't sure what was expected. But soon he was getting icing all over the place (he was only wearing a diaper for a reason, mommy thought ahead).

With the birth of our third, Elora, we are certain we are finished. Sometimes I hold her and get a little weepy knowing she'll always be my littlest, my baby girl.

The picture in this layout was taken at my mother's place when Elora was only a couple months old. Kerowyn had just turned two, which means Koen is three and a half. No wonder I'm so tired all the time!!

Both layouts are from Leisa's monthly CTMH gathering.

If you live in the Calgary area and would like to make layouts and cards like those you find in my journal, I'll be starting a monthly gathering of my own come the new year and there are still some seats available! The way it works is you promise to spend $35 at each party and the group members take turns hosting (and so take turns getting all the free stuff you get for hosting). It's a great way to get to know some new crafters or reconnect with old friends. Give me a shout if you think you might be interested!

News Post

2010-11-16T11:55:00.000-08:00

This isn't a craft update, but more of a ramble and an "news update" post.

I'm still accepting donations of crafting supplies or blank cards (of all types) for Ronald McDonald House Southern Alberta. Once my card swap on SplitCoast Stampers concludes (deadline is Dec 1st) I'll be parceling all the donations up and taking them down to the House. If you'd still like to contribute, please don't hesitate to contact me!

I'm working on several "use up those scraps" posts, cause... wow... do I have a TON of scraps!! Aside from these upcoming posts though, I'd love to hear from you. What would you like to see? Do you want more Technique type posts? A certain project? Tutorials? Not only does this give me a bit of a push to keep updating regularly, it challenges me to expand on what I know. Please comment or email me!

For those who are local (Calgary, AB), I'm doing a small promotion for the first three people who sign up to host a party with me. I'm an independant consultant with Close to My Heart now and would love, LOVE, to run a workshop for some new people. I had so much fun on the 14th tag teaming with my friend Colleen on the Christmas Card Extravaganza! I'm happy to work with you and your friends on cards or scrapbook layouts or a craft. Each guest takes home a project they crafted themselves! In addition to the hostess benefits you would already get, I'll be doing a door prize for your guests and the first three people to book a party get a $10 gift card (redeemable only through me) for Close to My Heart products!

In honor of the dump of snow we got today, I leave you with cuteness... and the reason pre-schoolers should not be allowed to help shovel the walk.

First Bike

2010-11-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

When Koen was very little we got him a low rider trike with a Cars theme. I hate that bike. He'd sit in it and absently push some noise maker while staring at the T.V. or babbling to his sister. He wasn't really "riding" the bike. It's hidden under the stairs now (oh the lessons we learn the first time around, right?).

Well, this summer we were having some issues getting a jump start on potty training. So the idea of getting a "Big Boy Bike" for the big boy was introduced. He was set on getting Diego, but the store didn't have any Diego. Instead we picked Buzz and Woody from Toy story.

When we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa Martens in Manitoba we took the bike, still in it's box, with us. Koen had asked Grandpa to put it together for him.

As you can see, he's rather proud of himself!

The paper, Tinkerin', is no longer available, but the stamp set, Robot Power, sure is!

I think this was one of the first pages we did at Leisa's monthly gathering.

Thanks for checking in! Happy Monday!

Gotcha!

2010-11-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

I hope you don't mind all these scheduled posts! Today is Sunday and I'm off to my first ever event where I'm the consultant! So excited!!

Clearly I really love the photos of Kerowyn if I'm using them on more than one page!

These two pages are using the same paper but the reverse of one another. The photos didn't pick up the pink in the brown very well for Kerowyn's page, but hopefully the intent is there. The paper itself is Stardust which is no longer available.

The stamp set, however, is. It's called Picture Perfect and I liked it so much that I bought it after Leisa showed us how to put together these pages.

I put the kids "likes" and "dislikes" in the film strip, though if it was a picture of them as babies I'd have used their "birth stats" instead.

Eventually I'll have some more pictures of Elora to show off too.

Thank you for checking in! See you Monday!

Summer Sweets!

2010-11-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

I know you're seeing lots of pages with pictures of my kids, but well... my kids are cute and next to them my favorite thing is scrapbooking. Photos of scrapping in a scap book seems a bit... redundant.

This page features my little diva again. She alternates between loving the camera and hating it (she actually has her own camera!). The top three photos are in sequence. She was being playfully pouty, trying to gain sympathy. Then a train ran behind Grandpa's house which startled her into running toward me. Then she was upset that we were chuckling at her, and how dare we take photos while she's less than her best.

The paper is Cherry-O with strawberry accents made with the "You're Sweet" stamp set (Kerowyn's favourite fruit). Another layout designed by my upline Leisa.

Aspen Paper

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

Oh Aspen, how I love thee so. This single page layout uses, yup, you guessed it, Aspen paper from Close to My Heart. It's still available in a Level 1 Kit, but no longer in the Level 2.

This particular page is from last year's monthly group (again, led by Leisa). The photo mounts are actually vellum paper that has been stamped with snowflakes and sponged with white ink. It doesn't show well in the photo (thank you phone camera) but it looks great in person!

White core cardstock is great for this kind of page, you can rip the paper and get that stark contrast of the cardstock colour and the white core.

As for the pictures... that's my boy Koen when he's almost a year old. It was his first time in the snow. At first he was pretty stoked, then he really wasn't impressed. Since he still wasn't crawling (I know right??) he just looked up and started wailing at us to pick him up. As a result, I only got a couple photos. That's my boy!

One last Hallowe'en post

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

Okay, I know Hallowe'en is over, but how can you resist such epic cuteness?!

I found a slightly better place to take photos. Alan just put in new bulbs in the kitchen and my Mother-in-Law gave me a recipe book stand a few years back. Combine the two and you can hardly tell (yeah right) that I'm using a phone for photos!

This two-page layout uses the Hooligan paper pack from Close to My Heart and was part of Leisa's monthly group. I changed mine up a bit in the decoration department, but kept the layout the same.

Once again we're using a layout from the Magic book. LOVE IT!! I can't say this often enough. This time the "magic" element is the hidden journaling (or photo) on the left page, using hinges.

The stamp set is called, "Fright Night" and I made liberal use of various Hallowe'en themed punches (bats, spiders, tree, more bats, drippy goo). I really enjoyed making this layout and I simply ADORE the photos of Kerowyn. I love how the one on the left it looks like she's going "ewwww" to the slime strip across the top of the photo!

Thanks for checking in.

Again, with the attitude!

2010-11-10T10:18:00.001-08:00

It's apparent I have a lot of attitude! This is also my second post today, so please scroll down to see my two-page layout post!

I'd like to thank Ann from Creative Ramblings for awarding me the (new) "I have attitude" blog award. Check it out in my sidebar if you like!

So here are five more people to pass the award to:

1. Shelly
2. Elizabeth
3. Colleen D
4. Lynne
5. Twyla

Please check out these great blogs!

Veranda Paper and a Cherished Moment

2010-11-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

I'm on a roll with getting photos into my scrap booking pages! This is another two-page layout from my upline's monthly parties. Thank you Leisa!

This is the Veranda paper pack, embellished with "Just Blooms" and the Mocha pearls. Once again there's a hidden journal on the right page, just pull the flower beside "Seize the Day" upwards and you reveal the hidden element!

This series of photos (there are more than appear in the layout) is from a visit to my mother's in Kelowna. Koen and I were discussing minnows, waves and sand. It was a lovely moment and one I cherish. Alan took the pictures from the boardwalk while sitting with Kerowyn. Koen is about two and a half in these pictures.

It is worth mentioning... Close to My Heart has a great promotion on this month. If you make the minimum purchase ($117.50Cnd) to get the Stamp of the Month, you also get ANOTHER stamp set for FREE (up to $26.95 value). To get this deal visit my site (Canadians only*) and enter your order just as you would normally. Add your free set to the list of items you want to purchase, it will be automatically set to zero cost. Feel free to contact me if you would like a hand getting it set up.

*this deal is available to Americans as well, but they must order from an American consultant.

Magnifique Paper Pack

2010-11-09T10:14:00.000-08:00

The weather is starting to get cooler, there was even frost outside today. You heard me... it's NOVEMBER, in CALGARY, and we're just getting frost! This almost makes up for the snow last May.

I'm still taking photos with my phone, but I just had to share this layout. The layout itself is from CTMH's "Magic" book, LOVE this book, if you have not seen it... oh, my, goodness. There are some pretty daunting techniques or "elements" in the book but if they are too scarey they are also easy to omit. This particular layout was picked by my upline Leisa for our monthly gathering. It uses the Magnifique (level 2) paper and the "Unity" and "Circle of Love" stamp sets.

The left page has my husband and I holding our second child, Kerowyn, right after she was born. It's one of my favourite pictures.

The right page has Alan with our youngest, Elora (top), Kerowyn (bottom left) and Koen (bottom right). If you look really closely you might notice that the top left and bottom right are "popped" with dimentional tape. That's because this layout calls for hidden journaling!! I haven't added it yet because I need to think about what to say heh, but the way it works is the top one slides up and the right one slides out to the right. You make a "tag" out of one of the embellishments that you can use to pull out the journaling. So, clever!!

A tip that Leisa shared with us at the party that really stuck with me was how to add the circles. They're just punched with a circle punch, but before you glue them down... fold them in half and then unfold them. This gives you a line to follow as you stick them to the edge of the page. The ribbon goes on overtop anyway and this way your circles are all neatly lined up. Great tip, thank you Leisa!!

Thank you...

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

for all your comments! The card from yesterday kind of grew on me and with a little tweeking it'll be the fourth card for the event. Your encouragement has helped a great deal, thanks again!

On a different creative note, I'm working on my website (found here: www.stampoffeh.com) so that it's not a "coming soon" page any longer. I found a nice free template and am slowly adding content. I'm horribly out of webdesign date and don't know how to do things like... add a box, like a blogspot widget, that shows the latest posts on my blog. If anyone would like to offer some tips, tricks, advice, creative critisism, whatever... I'm definately willing to listen!

I would have preferred a template that either showcased a maple leaf (for Canada and the "Eh" part of my site name), or a tree (for my personal association with the Tree of Life). A butterfly, like the Tree, can symbolize rebirth. It also represents change, often specifically change of the soul or spirit.

Not that a website for crafts needs to be symbolically significant or anything... but it's nice to have a personal feel to it!

Another rejected card

2010-11-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

Close shave for this guy, but he didn't quite make the cut. (Don't you just love it when people mix metaphores!) Once again I'm using the Mistletoe paperpack, with the stamp set Nature's Gift.

The bear is popped up and she's been sprayed with Stampin' Up's "smooch spritz" and I used Stampin' Up punches to back the sentiment and do the scallop border. The rest of the materials are Close to My Heart.

Were I to do this one again I think I would either use a lighter green on the tree (I'm using New England Ivy here) or do the Stamp Off technique (thank you Colleen for the suggestion).

I'm going to go back to using the Jingle paper pack and do a whimsical card for the fourth card in my kit.

Rejected Card: Christmas Card Extravaganza

2010-11-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm probably being too picky. But well, this is my first time hosting as a Close to My Heart consultant so I'm nervous!

This had a chance to be a great card, but it seems over balanced to me. I used "Father Christmas" and the "Mistletoe" paperpack. The red stamp is popped up. (Crappy photo is crappy, I'm sure you've heard enough about my phone and it's phototaking).

Were I to redo this card I I think I would do the "Postcard" stamp in gold emoboss and perhaps add a bit of ribbon.

Remembrance Day

2010-11-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

Remembrance Day is fast approaching and I wanted to make a card. I would love to make it out to a Remembrance Day ceremony here in Calgary this year, if so I'll be making a page for my scrapbook that includes this handcrafted poppy.

I'm sorry, I'm still using my iphone for pictures (though there's progress in data recovery and repair of my camera. There is hope!). The poppy is punched (large heart from Stampin' Up) from Cranberry cardstock distressed and then reinked with cranberry ink. The effect is to give it a bit of dimension without the stark white look of distressing white core cardstock. I'm quite happy with it (even if it doesn't show well in these pictures!)

The center is a green flower with "brass" brad. It reminds me of the poppies we wear in the beginning of November before they were changed to have black centers. (Edit to add: We wear black centered poppies in the years that service people have died in the line of duty. I miss the green centered poppies that meant none of our service people had died.)

The background paper is a piece of left over Mistletoe topped with a piece of cocoa cardstock that got the same treatment as the petals (distressing and reinking) to make it look leatherish. It makes me think of an old flight jacket I use to wear.

The sentiment is from Captured Moments. The only other stamp set I had with potentially appropriate sentiments was Picture Perfect and I really didn't think "Unforgettable" suited this card. If I had a tiny letter alphabet I might do, "I Remember" instead.

I'll leave you with a video by Terry Kelly. I watch it every year (usually several times) and it never fails to bring tears to my eyes.

My family Remembers. Thank you.

For the story behind this video, people visit Terry-Kelly.com

The 12 Days of Christmas

2010-11-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

My son, Koen, was born on the Epiphany, or the 12th Day of Christmas. I think that's kinda cool. So instead of making an Advent calendar (my kids prefer the chocolate kind anyway) I thought it would be nice to make a 12 Days of Christmas calendar that can double as a "how many days to Koen's birthday" calendar.

I haven't added the title yet because I haven't decided what it will be. The tins are attached with pre-stickied velcro dots. I used the cricut for the numbers (and will again for the title). I used up paper and embellishments that haven't seen the light of day for years! The tins themselves came from Lee Valley (love Lee Valley).

The whole thing measures 12x12 and has a kickstand on the back so I can rest it on a table. I plan to place an encouraging message in each tin, and perhaps with a piece of candy for each child.

Thank you for checking in!

Wooo blog award!

2010-11-04T08:41:00.000-07:00

I'd like to thank Kathy (and her little dog too, *cackle*) at Lucky Stamper, for awarding me with...

According to the guidelines I need to nominate five people and tell you all three things that make me different from everyone else. Hmm.

Let's see.

Hrm.

I'm pretty sure that anything I say there will be a couple thousand people who respond, "oh hey, me too!" so I'll just list three things that make me different from the few ladies I spend time with offline.

1. I like to do costume design and creation, though I haven't since my first was old enough to do more than drool. Babies and expensive fabrics don't mix. Most of my "customers" were LARPers or folks from the SCA. Now and then I'll get a request for information on a custom fit corset from someone who does neither of the aforementioned tasks. Probably for a nice dress they already have, right? *grin*

2. I love to cook... more than bake. I mean, I love the results of the baking (mmmm, Sweet Maries this Christmas, yes please!) but cooking is more forgiving and allows for spontaneous changes. Baking requires more preparation if you're going to change the recipe. Maybe I'll share some of my favorite recipes this holiday season!

3. I don't suffer fools. Not even lightly. Uneducated is not the same is ignorant. People who, for example, roll their eyes at a customer and give off the "there, there, don't worry your pretty little head, let the men take care of it," attitude... will get an earful from me. Happened just last night actually.

So now, five people to get this award!

Colleen over at DragonFlyInk

Leisa from Big Red Scraps

Jenny from Pinch of Paisley

PH from Thinking of Inking

Cat from Cat Scrap Fever

Please take a moment to go and check out these wonderful blogs.

Thanks again Kathy, for thinking of me!

Card Three - Card Extravaganza

2010-11-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

Slowly but surely I'm making headway on the cards I plan to use in the card kit for the Christmas Card Extravaganza with Colleen.

Alas I'm still using my phone for photos.

This card uses the Mistletoe paper pack and "Captured Moments" stamp set. Super simple with just a touch of distressing on the New England Ivy cardstock. It's finished off with some gold embroidery floss.

If you would like to attend the gathering please make sure to sign up no later than tomorrow night! In order to make the right number of kits we have to cut off the sign up early enough!

Thank you for checking in, I love reading all your comments.

Hallowe'en related

2010-11-01T14:25:00.001-07:00

Well, it's All Hallows and I promised pictures of Hallow's Eve. I have better... videos!

But first a picture of a mask I made for a Masquerade. I wanted to go as a medusa so I dressed in a roman stola and palla and carried this mask that I made from fabric that matched my outfit. I tied some more of the satin braids into my hair (they had wires in them to make them stand out a bit).

Lots and lots and lots of hot glue. And fabric paint. Ooooh the fabric paint.

Ah well, it was a fun night.

As I said before, the kids put to rest the idea of going as the three pigs, so we ended up with a "pretty witch" and "Woody" from Toy Story. Here's a couple videos of them just before we headed out trick or treating.

This was their first time trick or treating and it was a bit of a challenge getting them to understand at first. But once they got it, ooooh boy did they get it. "wait, what? we get FREE CANDY?" We had a great time with Colleen from DragonFlyInk and her two boys (who were dressed as Batman and a cow).

Card Two - Father Christmas

2010-10-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

This is the second of four cards I'll be using for the Christmas Card Extravaganza on Nov. 14th.

The card base is Colonial White though it might not show well in that picture (again, sorry... iphone photo, camera is broken!). The image is from Father Christmas (Close to My Heart) stamped in brown stazeon, which just happens to match the chocolate ribbon from CTMH. I used stazeon in case the people at the party wanted to color the santa later on.

The patterned paper is from Magnifique and the coloured card stock is Pacifica (as is the stamped sentiment). It's hard to see but there's a few silver brads added.

I'm rather happy with the effect. It's a super simple card (the cutting only takes a minute) and still says "Christmas" without using the more traditional red and green!

With today being Hallowe'en I may not get a post out for tomorrow. I have little kids to take trick or treating!! But I promise to post photos of the cuties (even though Kerowyn is now refusing to be one of the three pigs, even after I suggested "princess pig").

Thank you for stopping in!

Card Making Party

2010-10-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

On November 14th I'll be participating in a Christmas Card party with Colleen from DragonFlyInk Creations. We'll each be preparing kits that include 3 each of 4 different designs (12 cards) that the folks attending put together themselves. The afternoon starts with a potluck, and finishes with the card making.

This is the first of my four designs, it uses the Tannenbaum and Peace on Earth stamp sets and the Jingle paper pack. The sentiment reads, "What if Christmas doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas means a little bit more. - The Grinch"

The party has limited space and is only for Calgary residents. If you'd like to go send me a note or comment or check out the Facebook event.

Again, pardon the picture quality, phone vs camera.

Camera is hooped

2010-10-29T11:02:00.000-07:00

I give up trying to fix my camera! Please excuse the quality of photos, I'm using my phone to take photos now. This is the card I was going to post in my last entry. I used CTMH "Magnifique" paper and the stamp set "Winter Wonderland" also CTMH.

I know it's still a bit early for Christmas, but this is when us card crafters make them... well in advance so we can get them made and in the mail!

On a totally unrelated note, I wanted to thank all of you for your patience as I neglect my blog. Things are starting to get back into alignment and you can expect to see more posts from me. Now that I've given up on the camera and just started using my phone, I have no excuses for not posting. Woot!

A Card, a Prize and a Winner!

2010-10-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

Alright, well I had a picture to upload but I'm getting some weird error when I try to move it from my camera to my computer. I'll have to post the card update later.

However, I DO have a winner from my Draw for the Cure! Not very many people entered, I was surprised! But the amazing kit, complete with everything you need (except scissors) to make three mini albums, goes to....

STARLA! 5th out of 6 comments.

Congratulations Starla! You have one week to claim your prize before I offer it to another entrant!

Here is some cuteness to appease you while I figure out my camera error!
(It was taken on my iphone, don't mind the weird shape).

Hallowe'en Friends, and a blog award!

2010-10-07T07:24:00.000-07:00

Today is another Hallowe'en card! This little guy (don't mind the dark photo, I took it last night under artificial light) was made with strips of paper, a corner rounder, and a lot of distressing and sponging! The sentiment is from Close to My Heart's stamp of the month, last month, called "Thriller". I added a couple pieces of hemp and pop dotted the sentiment.

The card opens bottom to top instead of left to right, it just made sense to me at the time, not sure why.

Super easy, super fast... and I think this card can be done with kids too. I made sure the strips of paper were longer than the 4.25 width of the card so that I could angle them. Then I just cut down the excess. I was not afraid to use ink on a sponge, just about anywhere. Those are googly eyes, though you could just as easily use two different size circles to make eyes.

In other news, I'm the recipient of an award! my first ever, actually! Thank you, Kari, for thinking of me. Please check out Kari's blog sometime: Pigtail's Paper Patch.

There are steps to take once you get this award. Thanking the person who gave it to you (with a link back to their blog), post it on your blog, share three things about yourself (or things you like to do) and then pass the award on to five more people.

I think it's pretty obvious to anyone who reads my blog that I love to craft and that I play World of Warcraft, so I'll go for some lesser known facts about me.

Those closer to me already know that I was in the Canadian Infantry "back in the day". I joined at the ripe old age of 17 (I had to get my guardian to sign for me!) and took my basic training right here in Alberta with the Princess Patricia.

I also love to work with youth and very much miss my volunteer job as a "Civilian Instructor" with the Canadian Cadet program. I worked with three different units (two Air Cadets and one Army Cadets). Those kids were 12-18, but the Girl Guides I've worked with were only 9-11. I miss having the time to share.

A long time dream that I've had, that very few people know about, is my dream to run a foster home. I still hope to open my home when my own children are a little older (when the youngest is 5-6) and when I actually own my home. It's important to me to feel like I'm helping children in some capacity and I have plenty of love to share!

I simply cannot pick and choose five people to forward this award to, there are just too many fabulous blogs that I follow, however I know it would be disappointing if I didn't pick five people. So I let my daughter point out five blogs from the, very large, list of those I follow and love!

Hallowe'en Friends!

2010-10-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I was at a Close to My Heart party hosted by Leisa (who just happens to be my new upline!). We did a great Hallowe'en themed page with the Hooligan paper pack. While enjoying conversation and food with friends I was playing around with one of the punches on the table and suddenly I thought... hey, this would make neat spikey hair.

The rest, as they say, is history. Things just fell into place for making this neat card. The bolts on his neck are actually the tops of the letter T from Rustic Alphabet (also from CTMH). The sentiment is from Stampin' Up's "Smarty Pants". The paper is from CTMH's "Hooligan" paper pack. The eyes and ribbon came from a friend's craft stash.

When I used the edge punch on the hair I made sure to do so before folding the card. That way when it's folded there's a bit of overlap... giving the hair body and bounce. Well maybe not bounce, but still.

If I had one of those "faces" stamp sets that the punch art people use, I might have been able to do nose and mouth, but this worked! I can see using this style for other cards too.

PINK! Strength

2010-10-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

I have a really hard time working with pink. Those of you who knew me when my first daughter was born know that I really don't like pink. I've grown use to my older daughter wearing and loving pink, I've even made concessions for pink room decorations and toys. But working with pink in a craft is really... really... against the grain for me

But, it's Breast Cancer Awareness month (by the way, you should check out my draw this month, it's in support of BCAM) and so I'm determined to do several projects in pink.

This card uses Close to My Heart's "A Sip" and Stampin' Up's "Favorite Thoughts" and "Pretty Petals". The paper and ink are both Stampin' Up and the sparkles are Close to My Heart.

I adore the sentiment, absolutely adore it. The inside of the card is blank. This can be used as a "we're here to support you, stay strong" card, or simply, "I'm thinking of you as you go through this rough time". I could also be used as a, "thank you for your kind support" card.

Thank you for checking in, I'll see you often this month for more PINK!

Colour Experiment - Final

2010-09-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

I give up! I was loan four Copic markers by my Close to My Heart consultant, Leisa, 2 shades of pink and 2 shades of gray (plus a blender pen). I've been trying to do something presentable but I'm afraid it's just not enough to show the blending capabilities... not even anything worth taking a photo of. So, this is the end of my colour experiment for now.

Some of you expressed concern that I wasn't making a final project with the finished dragons... well, the water colour dragon was given to my son, the marker dragon to my older daughter... but I rescued the coloured pencil dragon and crayon dragon to make into projects.

All the paper is from Stampin' Up, as are the two sentiments. The sparklies are from Close to My Heart and the dollar store (see the itty bitty sparkly on the pencil dragon's finger?). The ribbon and the corner punch are from Michaels, I'm not sure of the vendor names. The dragon is from Paper Pretties.

I'd like to thank all of you for following along on this colour experiment, your words of encouragement kept my momentum up and made it tons of fun. I must admit, whenever I make a post I check my email often to see if anyone has replied... it's like getting mini Birthday presents to get a comment!

On a closing note, please take a moment to enter my Draw for the Cure. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, hence why my blog and icon have gone PINK!

oops!

2010-09-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

I'm suppose to have a Copic Marker update today, but I had friends over yesterday and then my husband let me sleep late today (what a dear!) so I'm popping in for a quick update and apology.

Just so I have something to talk about, I'm asking how many of you have read Linda Bacon's (Ph.D) book Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight? Amazing read. I recommend it to absolutely everything regardless of body image. Someone who totally loves their body can still learn something from this book, and if it means spreading the word to those who need to hear the message... great! Most especially though... anyone who has EVER dieted needs to read this book. Anyone with children (especially girls) needs to read this book.

I'm very tired of hearing that overweight=unhealthy, because it's simply not true. There are many reasons someone might be "over" what society expects them to weigh and usually it's NOT due to a sedentry and unhealthy lifestyle.

Changing the focus from "I'm fat, how do I lose weight" to "I want to be healthier and eat healthier and I want to move more, I feel good when I eat well and move more" does not mean "the fatties are giving up". How many other situations in our life do we use negative reinforcement to learn? Do our children respond better to, "hey, let's try this awesome activity here" or "get off your fat ass and exercise!"? If we know children and peers respond better to positive reinforcement, why would we treat ourselves any differently?

All my life I remember being called fat and hating my body and how I looked. When I look at pictures of myself as a tween and teenager, I'm floored at how great I look. My mental image of myself was entirely distorted and flat out wrong! It makes me really, really, worried for my girls.

We're a "fat positive" household that is working toward better food and activity choices. How about you?

Koen's Story for Cpl. Hathaway, USMC

2010-09-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm a member of Splitcoast Stampers and often browse the "card request" forum for a Random Act of Kindness. In the past Koen and Kerowyn have contributed to these cards by colouring (usually with crayon) inside the card.

On Monday we heard about Cpl. Hathaway, USMC who had surgery on August 30 and could use some cheering up. I started making a card and my son (who will be four on Jan 6th, 2011) asked me, "mommy, what you doing?" I told him there was a man who had an owie and was feeling sad, so mommy and some of mommy's friends were making him cards to cheer him up. Koen thought about that and said, "me too mommy! we make him happy, mommy, send him hugs like grandma!" (Maternal Grandma sends stickers and other fun things with little notes all the time, Koen knows all about how the mail system works now).

After I recovered from a pang of maternal pride that brought tears to my eyes I figured, heck, let's make something that's all his. So I took some white card stock and cut it down to 6x11.5 and scored it at 5.5 to fold in half. Another piece of coloured cardstock was cut to 6.25x11.5 and also folded in half. The whole kit and kaboodle was tied together with some hemp and I used one of my journaling markers to draw lines at the bottom of each page.

Koen then drew images (if I were to do it again I'd do the writing in pencil so I can fix mistakes like how I spelled Pteranadon. And I'd use sheets of tracing paper between the pages to keep them from glomming up the opposing page.) and told me what they were about. The words are entirely his, I cleaned up pronunciation ("cane-o" is really "volcano") and a tiny bit of the grammar, "he is Russian" for someone who is long dead is now, "he was Russian" for example.)

Page 1: This is a tree with the warm sun overhead. Birds and fairies (like Tinkerbell) live in trees. Koala bears live in trees too.

Page 2: My grandma has a beach on a lake. I like to go swimming and make sandcastles with a bucket. It is really hot at the beach.

Page 3: Spaceships have rockets and go to planets not back down [to earth]. Gagarine was the first man in space, he was Russian. Rocket fire is blue because it's hot.

Page 4: Dragons are real and breathe fire! Some dragons fly, like the Teranadon*

* mommy isn't sure that is spelled right, but is sure we mean "dinosaur" not "dragon".

Page 5: Teranadons are dragons, no, dinosaurs that fly. They fly away from volcanos. Teranadons are green and eat fish.

Page 6: Volcanos blow up with fire. They are made from mountains. Volcanos are not the beach.

Page 7: This is mommy with baby Elora. Baby Elora cries, mommy makes her feel better. I like to snuggle Elora, I love her lots and lots and lots and tooooooo much.

Page 8: My daddy is fun. He takes me to the park.

Thank you Koen, we now know not to take a towel and swim trunks when we next go visit a volcano.

The last page is done by Kerowyn who was quite jealous of Koen being allowed to colour in his own little book (she was tired of plain paper that mommy had given her) and she explained her picture was "flophers" and "binkerbell".

It warms my heart that my kids (the older one at least) want to make others happy, even those they have never met. Now if only they'd be nice to each other!!

PINK!

2010-09-21T13:58:00.000-07:00

October is coming up, and that means Breast Cancer Awareness! My blog has gone pink, as has my icon (even on LJ and Facebook!).

Since 1986 the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation has been working toward a future free of Breast Cancer. Most notable of their events is the CIBC Run for the Cure, but they also raise money with Shop for the Cure with select partners and Cook for the Cure with Kitchenaid. Even when you're not going out of your way to donate time or money, you could still be making a difference with your everyday purchases!

In an effort to spread the word I'm hosting a very special draw. Instead of linking to my blog and posting to let me know you have, I'd like you to post on your blog or social networking site with a link to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (http://www.cbcf.org/)* making sure to comment here to let me know you've done so.

When you do that you'll be entered (once for each blog or networking site you link from) to win the Close to My Heart "Triple Play" Mini Album Kit. The kit includes everything you need (aside from cutting tools) to create the three mini albums shown in this picture.

The draw will remain open until midnight (my time) on October 20th and be drawn on October 21st. The winner will have one week to contact me before I redraw.

Kit includes: My Acrykix(R) "Love This Stamp" set; 4 Exclusive Inks(R) cubes (Desert Sand, Hollyhock, Indian Corn Blue and Sunset); 9 - 4" x12" panels (3 each of 3 colour schemes); 3 - 6" x 12" die-cut sheets; 72" Colonial White Grosgrain Ribbon; 3 - hook-and-loop fasteners. I've added a tape runner and an acrylic block. You literally just need scissors, and maybe stamp cleaner, though water works too.

* I am not a registered volunteer of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and am not asking for any donations. I also realize that those outside of Canada might find it odd linking to the CBCF, however it still spreads awareness (and I am not familiar with cancer foundations in other countries).

Colour Experiment - Day Six

2010-09-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

New day... same media? Today's experiment comes from two sources. The crayon technique was shared with me by Kathy over at Lucky Stamper, the "white wash" look was linked by HappyCrafter in reply to Day Two. I almost split this into two days, but since Laurie Wilson already did a wonderful tutorial for the white wash with markers, I figured I'd stick to the crayon technique.

The first part of the experiment was figuring out what crayons to use. Do you have any idea how may different types of crayons, not just brands, there are out there? Well, I own three kinds (or my kids do at least). All three are from Crayola... there's the traditional crayon, "twistables" and "washable" (which aren't really washable, by the way). I did a test with two of each colour (tried to make sure they were all the same two colours but crayons get lost, broken, eaten, et cetera).

I ended up picking the "normal" crayons, I liked how they blended the best. The twistables were a harder wax and so came up paler and harder to blend. The washables were a much softer wax and glommed all over my page (remember Day Three?) and didn't seem to blend as smoothly.

After picking my colours and stamping my image I made sure to sharpen the heck out of my crayons (the apricot is actually a washable... honestly I could only find three "normal" crayons. I used two of them and threw in the one washable. Washables do NOT sharpen well!). Then I drew a thin line around the edge of the dragon, tossing in a few dabs of blue and apricot for accents. Heres the fun part... I used a smudge stick (typically used by artists using charcoal or softer graphite pencils) and a teensy bit of baby oil and blended the colour inward. To do a true white wash I've used way too much colour, but hopefully it still looks okay.

Thanks for checking in! My next colour experiment post should be this Thursday as I've found someone to loan me some Copic markers!

PS. Today my youngest, Elora Dawn, is four months old. Have a cup'o'cute!

Don't ask where the camera is.

Stamp image from Paper Pretties.

Experiments with Colour - Day Five

2010-09-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

I've learned several valuable lessons this evening (last night by the time you read this).

1. I've managed to post five days of this experiment series and have a different title for each day.
2. Chalks are not my favorite way to colour... at all.
3. The dragon image is not a good chalk subject.

So first up, thank you to my Stampin' Up supplier, Colleen Hilchie, for lending me the "Stampin' Pastels. This experiment isn't a wash because I still learned something... I mean other than I suck at colouring with chalk.

A few tips before I continue. I didn't have an "embossing buddy" (basically a tiny bean bag with chalk instead of beans) to go over the paper with before stamping. That means if I go outside the lines, the chalk sticks.

Also, it's much easier to work with a solid image than a line image like this dragon. The technique is suppose to be... use embossing buddy on paper, stamp image in versa mark, "paint" chalk onto versa mark where it then sticks. I'm going about it all wrong and that put me behind a bit.

I did give a go of using a versa marker and then colouring. It didn't look so great to me. There was simply too much contrast between where the versa marker was and was not... so I might as well be colouring with markers.

Still I stuck with it, trying again to get my earth tone dragon (maybe that's my problem? I just can't work with brown??). I used Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, More Mustard and So Saffron before I gave up!

But I did want to make sure to show an example of the "right" way (or at least the way I was told) to use chalks, so I dug out some generic random stamps I had and used those.

Remember that an embossing buddy would keep the area surrounding my image "clean", giving a nice soft look but not as messy as shown in my images. I used Garden Green, Bravo Burgundy and So Saffron.

Bottom line? I don't like chalks, at least not for colouring line images. I'll just chalk it up to preference. *snerk* See what I did there??

Stamp image from Paper Pretties.

Father's Day - blast from the past

2010-09-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

It's not that great of a photo, but hopefully you can see it. This is the card I made for my husband's father for Father's day a few years back. The baby in the picture is my husband. I used a vellum from a random vellum pack I had and put it over the photo before sticking them together with brads.

The paper is from Stampin' Up (cardstock and DP).

The card was inspired by one I made for my husband's first ever Father's Day. Difference is, I didn't have a picture of my Father-in-Law holding Alan as a baby, just the newborn picture.

Thanks for checking in! I'll see you tomorrow for Day Five of the Colour Experiment!

Colouring Experiment: Day Four

2010-09-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

I wanted to thank everyone for the lovely comments left on this project. I've had much encouragement and several suggestions for other techniques to try! This should keep my going!
I'll be taking a break on Sunday, but back at it on Monday.

Have you ever started a project and had everything go wrong that could go wrong? That was me today. First up I kept forgetting all the stuff I know about colouring. With crayons and water colour pencils it pretty much doesn't matter what surface you're colouring on (I mean underneath your paper) but with harder things like coloured pencils, you can't have a soft surface. Well, my work area has cork mats (makes for a great stamping surface). Oops. What it means is that your pencils can't get the nice dark colour you'd get on a hard surface. Oh well, I'd started I'm going to keep going.

So next I find that the pencil I picked to be my main colour, brown, is broken. Every time I sharpen it it'll break off again, usually a ways inside the wood so I have to sharpen a bunch. That was certainly annoying. I tried 5-6 times and gave up.

Then I decided, well, even though I've done a purple dragon I'm going to do another one... this time more jewel tones. I couldn't decide which jewel tones and, frankly, I had lost a bit of interest after being denied the earth tones... so I used all of them. (There wasn't much of a selection anyway). At this point I'm grumbling about not being able to find my Prisma Colours.

I really wanted to do a blue based purple so started with that and worked into the purple. I highlighted her cheeks and eyelids with the pink to make her a bit "warmer". After all that I ended up going over it in the pink anyway because it didn't look "right"... part of that is due to the purple pencil. There was something in the purple that was scraping, even after sharpening, the colour back off as I coloured. I tried sharpening, rotating, adjusting the angle, nothing.

The wings turned out great. I had to remind myself that it's "okay" to blend colours that are seperated on the spectrum (red/pink, skip orange, to yellow, for example) and it gives a neat effect. I suggest starting with the darker colour and blending with the lighter colour. If your pencils are fairly soft (like my beloved and missing Prismas) you'll want to watch that your lighter colour doesn't get "dirty" when you go over the darker colour.

Another thing to consider, with any medium really, is your colour selections. I love to work with complimentary colours (colours across from one another on the colour wheel... so red/green, purple/yellow, blue/orange) and if I have a significant amount of one, I want to add that in as well. It can be a pain because I love red and I love green, but I don't like all my coloured images to look like Christmas themes. Also, I love blue but I'm really picky about oranges and dislike many shades of orange.

Here's my finished dragon, who will NOT end up on a card or project, but since we can learn from mistakes is still making it into my blog.

Thank you for checking in! See you Monday... I haven't decided yet, but some more colouring!

Stamp image from Paper Pretties.

Experimenting with Colours - Day Three

2010-09-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

Crayons!! I didn't have any of my OWN crayons so I stole my kids. So, I ended up with "Large" washable crayola crayons. It's not easy to do detail work with crayons!! Today's colours are my pick.

I should note that this is not the only crayon technique I want to try, I have to visit the craft store for some materials and then I'm going to try something Kathy told me about. That'll probably be day five or six.

So... same image, new technique. After picking my colours I worked in the opposite direction as the water colours and markers. I started with the DARKER colour, in this case red. Once I'd gone lightly over the whole body of the dragon with the red crayon I started working with more pressure on the crayon with the dark orange. For the belly it was orange and then yellow.

Crayons are messy. Did I mention that? I wasn't too worried about going outside the lines, both because these crayons were HUGE and because you can always go back and "scape" the paper to get most of the colour off again. (I used a craft blade, but any flat sharp object should do the trick).

Whatever you do, don't "wipe" the paper to get the crayon bits off. Oi.

If your image has only a little bit of the stamp colour you can kind of cheat and just go over the lines. Unless you're using a "white" base colour (in other words, any pastel colours) it won't show much.

Not much to say about this experiment really... I mean, it's crayons. You're going to end up with a BRIGHT and waxy image. The finished product will be easily scraped and so it might not be the best technique for card making.

Here she is in her glory. I finished it with two shades of green... again starting with the darker colour. I wanted to cover some of my more glaring "outside the lines" moments, mostly to impress you folks with my childlike ability to colour with crayons! Are you impressed?
Thank you for stopping by! See you tomorrow for my pencil crayon experiment.

Stamp image from Paper Pretties.

Experimenting with Colour - Day Two

2010-09-16T06:05:00.000-07:00

Alright! Day Two of the Great Colour Experiment. My two year old informed me that pink and purple would be our colours, based on a favourite dragon toy. I had already decided to test out my Stampin' Up dual tip markers. Take in mind that my daughter was sitting in my lap "helping", as a result I didn't stay within the lines all the time.

First I picked my colours, the lids don't always look the same as the colour on paper so I tested them all and narrowed it down (the picture is before I narrowed it down!). Because there are so many pinks and purples from the retired colours I had plenty to choose from. I picked Pale Plum for the body, Lavender Lace for the wings, Pretty in Pink for the belly, Pixie Pink for the crest and kept Lovely Lilac and Orchid Opulence for accents.

I'm told that copic markers don't get "lines" like regular markers where the ink is overlapped. I'd love to try that sometime!! Stampin' Up markers however, do get lines, so it's best to do "two coats". Do one coat, let it dry and go back over it... especially if you're not using paper designed for a lot of moisture (such as my mysteriously lacking water colour paper). I tried doing that second coat as shading, but there's no real in between. Perhaps if I did dots like a comic strip?

I need to not do these when the kidsa re up. I grabbed the Orchid colour instead of Pale Plum and went over the face. Tee-hee. So I had to go over the whole body with the Orchid. Looks good though!

Here's a shot of the finished product, all outside the lines and stuff. Eep!
Thanks for checking in!

Stamp image from Paper Pretties.

Experiment in Colouring - Day One

2010-09-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

I got my new stamps from Paper Pretties yesterday and I figured this would be a great time to experiment with colouring. I don't own copic markers (yet!!) so I'm working with what I have.

Day one is water colour pencils, these particular ones are from Stampin' Up.

As you can see the image is an awesome dragon. I love it! After stamping several images in brown staze-on, I consulted with my 3.5 year old boy on what he felt would be appropriate colours for a dragon of this level of awesomeness, he informed me that green AND blue would be appropriate.

I picked out some colours and, this is important, tested the colours on an edge of the paper. I'm not working with water colour paper (I need to make a trip to the craft store) so I have to be careful how much moisture I use or the paper will start to peel and tear. Knowing this I started with a yellow (to lighten the green) at the points where the dragon might have more light on her scales.

Next I dusted around the edges with the green. It doesn't matter if it's neat, we're going over it with moisture anyway and that will blend the colours. If you're working with several colours it's always best to start with the lighest and work your way darker... you can cover light with dark but not dark with light.

Around the green I took the blue. The dragon's hands, feet, back scales, horns and eye lids are just plain blue. I added some color to the wings.

When I do this one next time I'm going to use a bit less of the yellow on her green-blue scales. Due to non water colour paper I couldn't do as much blending as I would have liked.

At this point both my older children (3.5 and 2) were giving critiques which mostly involved indignation that I wasn't sharing the "crayons". I took a break to put on the electronic babysitter to see if I could rush the job!

Next up I started blending with Stampin' Up blender pens. You can just as easily use a paintbrush and a little water (but, again, no water color paper). The blender pens offer a bit more control and a little less "mess". There's also no chance you're going to tip over a jar of water on your project. Oops!

For this stage I went from the darker colours to the lighter because I wanted to minimize the yellow on her thigh and tail. On the wings I went from inside to outside since the outside was colour free until I used the blender pen.

Between each section I "cleaned" my pen by drawing on a blank area of the paper that wouldn't be used until no colour came off the pen.

Finally I went over her eyes, eye lashes and claws with a Chocolate Chip marker (because I used brown staz-on) to darken them a bit. The children approved and I'm happy with the result even though I feel I could have done a neater job (next time I'll wait until the kids are in bed!).

Tomorrow I'll post images of my adventures in colouring with markers (non-copic)... this time the colour inspiration supplied by my 2 year old daughter!

Thanks for checking in!

I'm baaaaack

2010-09-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

I'm greatful for all the comments (public and private) offering support. The biggest emotional kick-in-the-pants I'm dealing with is still trying to find homes for my remaining two cats. In the last few months I've been to the hospital three times for "moderate to severe" asthma attacks. I've been booked for an appointment to learn how to manage my asthma (which is an adult occurance, probably triggered by the number pregnancy does to the body) but without removing the biggest cause of the irritation, there's not much I can do.

Calgary, the city I live in, is beyond capacity with regards to cats in the shelters. I'm also not sure any of them are No-Kill shelters. We're looking at things like the Cat Genie to try and reduce allergins. After two glorious weeks away where I only had to use my inhaler once, we returned to the house and within five minutes of being home I was wheezing. It's killing me that I'm the reason we have to find new homes for our furry babies... and it's getting to the point that I can't keep searching for a home without risking serious injury to myself (the doctor tells me that daily use of my inhaler is a Bad Thing). That means that I have to consider euthenizing the cats.

So, after all that sob story, I'm dedicating this journal entry to animal shelters everywhere. People like the folks who run the Last Chance Cat Ranch, that open their homes to the "less adoptable" cats. Or groups like the S.P.C.A. that even work with American soldiers overseas who have befriended strays to cope with what they deal with every day.

Please, if you are looking for a pet to adopt, consider visiting your local shelter first. You can visit the animal many times, some places even let you take them home on a "trial", to see if you and the animal get along. If you're not looking to adopt, please considering making a donation of time or money. And, barring all else, please just spread the word to your friends, families and social networking sites.

I'll be back to crafting very soon now that I'm home. Thank you all for your patience!

Time away!

2010-08-28T10:34:00.001-07:00

I know I haven't posted in over a week, and I'm afraid I won't be able to post for another two weeks. Please forgive me! There are some things outside of crafting that need some tending to, then I shall return. Thank you for understanding!

In the meantime I encourage you to check these two blogs out....

The first is brand new from my Stampin Up provider, Colleen Hilchie, and can be found here: http://dragonflyinkcreations.blogspot.com

The second has been around for a while but is worth a look at the archive. It belongs to my Close to My Heart provider, Leisa Hubley, and can be found here: http://bigredscraps.blogspot.com

It is finished!!

2010-08-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

Done! It's been a blast working on this piece, the person who commissioned me (name withheld in case the person who is getting the card checks my blog!) has been very sweet to work with. I love working with people that say things like... "I like X, I'm not sure about Y, so whatever you think can be done, go for it". It gives me some direction without stifling the creative process and it results in some great ideas!

This project has seen three new templates for shield shaped cards (two with banners, one without) that will eventually be available for download. It's seen the creation of an axe from the round tab punch and a sword from scratch. I've created faux leather from paper, and best of all... I finally used the last of my hemp twine. Oops, excuse to go CRAFT SHOPPING!!

I know this is the second post about this card, but I made a few changes since the last time. Due to the size of the round tab punch I needed to make the shield larger... I did that by getting rid of the banner at the bottom. I like the change! I started with a base of Basic Grey and used Close to Cocoa and Chocholate Chip ink to darken the edges (inside and out... didn't post the inside pictures cause I have a ton of pictures already).

The patterned paper is from DCWV Once Upon a Time which I've had lying around since, well... happily ever after.

The haft of the axe and the hilt of the sword are both textured cardstock in a pale tan color with chocolate chip and close to cocoa sponged on overtop. That gave it the wood texture (just had to make sure I got the "grain" running the right way!)

The only stamp I used was still Nature Silhoettes from Stampin' Up (the last post about this card had the head of the stag). I used the wolf on the envelope too, in close to cocoa and "stamped off" so it would be pale.

I ended up cutting the haft and hilt by hand since none of my punches really made sense. Would I do it again? absolutely! in fact I've already had three friends tell me they want this card made for them! I'll have to use different design paper, but this time around I was going for the "Tauren Warrior" feel.

Here we are, one last picture before I sign off for the night. Tomorrow is a glorious day with my husband home to chase toddlers, I love that it worked out that he's home on my birthday! Wish come true for sure!! Guess what I'm spending my time doing? Yeah, that's right... CRAFTING!

I leave you now with an explantion of my blog name. For those unfamiliar with crafting... the technique "stamping off" is simply when you ink a stamp, stamp it once and then stamp again without reinking. It gives you a paler image of your stamp.

"Take off, eh" is a common phrase used by the McKenzie Brothers. There's really no way to explain Bob and Doug McKenzie to anyone not Canadian... it's best to see it for yourself. Some of you may remember them as the voices of Rutt and Toque, the Moose in Brother Bear.

A work in progress

2010-08-15T23:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm still working on commission pieces... but I decided to give you all a look-see anyway.

It started out as request from a World of Warcraft player and it turned into me making a couple of templates for new card shapes (eventually these will be available for download, I'm still working out the kinks). Two shields and a mug of ale. One of the pieces I'm working on now involves one of the shield shapes.

It's still in the rough stages, but I'm happy with it so far! I even came up with a few accessories...

Round tab punch! Who knew you had it in you! Don't mind the fingerprint on my hiltless sword, I was in a rush and didn't let that nice silver embossing powder (thank you Martha) cool properly before touching it.

Here's what it would look like all assembled. Alas the card shape isn't quite big enough (or the round tab is too small) so I've decided to take the gold banner off the bottom and increase the overall size of the shield itself.

The person I was commissioned by felt the shiney ribbon wasn't right, and it's true! We figured maybe a rough leather and so I came up with this. That's Old Olive paper with Chocolate Chip and Close to Cocoa ink. I daubed the paper with the ink and then went to town on it with my bone folder. I crumpled and smoothed it a few million times, adding ink to soften the paper as I went. I think it turned out okay!

I might even get some craft time in tomorrow morning, I'm so excited!

Train Table

2010-08-09T08:38:00.000-07:00

I love to shop... no really! LOL. One of my favorite places to go is IKEA in there "As Is" section cause you can get great deals on items that can be used for even better projects. This last Christmas we got Koen a ton of train track and trains (even a couple Thomas trains) and we bought this table.

We'd talked about getting Koen a train table from the toy store but the prices were super crazy for our budget! This table was $30 and is just the right height for our kids to play at, and it's adjustable.

Next up I contacted a friend of ours who has tools (so that I don't have to use my hand held saw!) and we'll be purchasing some basic trim (like the kind that goes around your doors and windows), cutting it to the length of the table edges (remember to measure the shorter edge of the angled cut!) and attaching it. The trim will be attached on the sides of the table, flush with the bottom of the tabletop, so that the table itself has a ridge running all the way around it.

Once that's complete I'll be caulking the inside edges and painting the surface of the table (after sanding cause it's super shiney) with tree tops and a river or two. I'll just be using acrylic paints, nothing fancy. The final coat will be a thick clear lacquer, something I can pick up at the craft store pretty easily. (Tip, use a blow dryer to keep the resin warm and help get rid of bubbles as you apply it. And remember to do something like this in a well ventilated area!!)

The reason I got the table at such a discount? a couple pock marks on the surface where a screw was tightened took much. Pfft, doesn't bother me, I'm painting over it!

Total cost of materials and table comes out to about $50 instead of the $150 for the store bought tables and I get to customize the look all I want!

I'll post more pictures of my progress as I go. Thanks for stopping by!

It's official!

2010-08-05T14:44:00.000-07:00

About a week back I posted about a user at Splitcoast Stampers encouraging people to donate cards and papercrafting materials to Ronald McDonald House Charities. Well I've been in touch with Ronald McDonald House Southern Alberta here in Calgary and they would be quite happy to take any new crafting supplies we can manage to scrounge up.

So today is the first official day of collection. I've already gone through my individual sheets of design paper (that took forever!) and seperated the ones I simply can't do without. Next I'll be looking over my stamp sets to see if there's one or two I haven't used in a long time. While my inkpads aren't new, there are some that are barely used (like many of the retired Stampin' Up colors) and I know I can do without them. Soon I'll be looking through my embellishments to see what I can part with.

I'll be able to donate several blank scrapbook albums with pages (the older Creative Memories "perfect fit" 12x12 books) and page protectors that fit. And, of course, my kids crafting drawer could use some cleaning out.

So, Calgary, I challenge you to clean out your craft rooms! Dust off those things you bought but never opened and put them in a box. Add in unused design paper, extra cardstock and any other tidbits... then contact me at berkanaisageek(at)hotmail(dot)com and we'll arrange an pick up time.

From there I'll sort the items and package them up nicely and take them to the Ronald McDonald House Southern Alberta!

As for the rest of you, if you'd like to contribute you can either check here to see if your area alreay has a rep... or find out if you have a Ronald McDonald House in your area. None in the area? no worries, there are plenty of charities that are looking for the same kinds of donations! If you'd like to contribute through Stamp Off, Eh, you can do so by mail (with either supplies or cards) by contacting me at berkanaisageek(at)hotmail(dot)com.

I'm sorry I've had to many posts without an actual craft to share, I'm diligently working on a commission piece (another Warcraft theme!) and I should have something to share soon. Thanks for reading!

Totally Not Crafting

2010-08-04T13:44:00.001-07:00

Today has been a very sad day for me. I've read about some disturbing things (I don't suggest clicking that link unless you have a strong stomach, it involves what I feel is nothing less than "parent sanctioned" pedophilia). And I've read about some other disturbing things (involving sexism in my favorite game). And I've seen my favorite Canadian food store perpetuating fat hatred, with children no less. (I don't know how to link directly to the comment regarding the "war on childhood obesity" or I would. Edit for a direct link to their blog post.)

Between raging about poor little girls who don't have a voice and the horrible rampant "male privledge" in the gaming communities in general. Add a whole federally backed campaign that focuses on fat kids implying fat automatically means unhealthy and ignores skinny kids that are leading unhealthy lifestyles.

Well, it's nice... downright heartwarming actually... to come back to my blog and read so many awesome comments on my crafts. I know I'm an emotional wreck (meaning things "get to me" and I'll tear up over topics that I would normally be able to just get angry or happy about) but that doesn't change how awesome I feel about reading the positive things you have said to me. Thank you so much for making my "space" a positive place to come and recharge. Heck, the words I'm saying now don't do justice to the warmth I feel. Thank you isn't enough but it's all I got.

Oh and my $4.18 of natural gas usage in July turned into a $34.54 bill after fees, charges and taxes. How does that even happen?? I mean aside from using a whole gigajule of natural gas in JULY, how can the administration fee be more than my usage? and why does it cost nearly $20 to distribute $4.18 in gas to my house? Is that even legal? or ethical? Good grief.

Kid tough camera

2010-08-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

For Kerowyn's birthday we got a child friendly digital camera (both her and her older brother are starting to get obsessed with pretend picture taking, so we took it to the next level). I did some research and finally decided on the Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera.

Some of the other cameras we had looked at had video games and many, many, buttons on them. This one has five buttons. On/Off, Take-a-Picture, scan through pictures (forward and back), and delete picture. It's got both a view finder like an oldschool camera and a small LCD screen.

I like that the camera is durable and waterproof (resistant?) and that it's easy for little hands to use. I like that the battery casing and USB port are protected by a hatch that requires a screwdriver or other tool with a slim tip to get into. I like that it has two resolution settings, one that is okay for internet photos (see the shot of Kerowyn) and another that is okay for printing (as long as you only want 4x6 photos). On the lower resolution setting you can take about 500 photos. It also has an auto-off after a minute of inactivity. Battery saver!

What I don't like is that the frame rate is very low so you have to keep the camera, and the object you are snapping a photo of, very still to get a clear image. Most of the pictures the kids have taken so far look like they were shot from a car on the highway. How many toddlers and preschoolers do YOU know that have a steady hand? It's battery operated instead of chargable, another downer for me.

Overall I'm happy with the camera, though I wish I'd thought to set the camera to the higher resolution setting right away!

Now I have to finish a photo album for the kids to put their own photos on display... and think about a photo printer cause, well, I think it'll get expensive printing off low-res questionable photos.

Cupcakes, yum!

2010-08-02T23:37:00.000-07:00

July 2nd was my daughter Kerowyn's 2nd birthday. We held off on having a celebration until the end of the month when we'd be visiting grandma (my mom). Most of our friends plan or attend Canada Day events, so it made sense to hold off.

My son Koen was pretty excited (he's 3.5)... he informed me and his grandmother that we must make a birfday cake and make in lots and lots and lots of nummy. You may recall me mentioning a Sesame Street themed card I had been working on. Well, "stuff" happened and I never finished the card, but we kept the theme.

The birthday party was to be held at CrocTalk, Canada's only reptilian conservation facility. Predators, toddlers... what could POSSIBLY go wrong!? Nothing, as it turns out. But the facility isn't really equipped for food heavy birthday parties, so we opted for cupcakes. Koen helped to make them, he was so proud.

So after the kids fed the tortoise Sherman, and watched Allie the alligator get her dinner, and patted the rabbits and touched the baby crocs and held the crocodile egg... they were ready to eat Elmo and Cookie Monster. (Those are apricots for noses). Next time I do something like this I'll make the icing a bit thicker and NOT do it in 100+ degree weather at an outdoor facility. Sheesh.

Kerowyn had a blast and we made some new friends while we were visiting. And if you happen to be passing through Kelowna BC I highly recommend taking your kids, or yourselves, to the CrocTalk facility. They are almost ready to open the new facility which will have huge ponds... it all sounded very exciting.

This is the birthday girl. She wanted to eat all the eyes and leave the cupcakes. Aaaah, that's my girl!

Tips for cupcakes: use a thick home made icing, not store bought. Remember that food coloring waters down the icing and compensate. Use only half a cookie for Cookie Monster or your cupcake will fall apart. Try fuzzy peaches candy for Elmo's nose instead of apricots, what kid wants HEALTHY on a cupcake? pfft. Bulk food sales are your friend for white chips and fuzzy peaches, fewer left overs.

Had to add a video of Koen meeting a tortoise and Kerowyn meeting a baby croc.

Blast from the Past

2010-07-31T09:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a blast from my past... this is one of the first cards I designed myself (instead of just making what the demonstrator at an event made). It seems so long ago! I remember exactly when I made it too, it was at the Pincher Creek B&B scrapbooking weekend (my first and only, man I want to go back soooo badly!!). I scrounged the cardstock since I'd taken only scrap booking stuff to work on.

Garden Whimsey is the stamp set (I bought it after that weekend!) which is from Stampin' Up though now retired. I'm pretty sure that is Always Artichoke green in the background, then Almost Amethyst SU design paper and Barely Banana cardstock.

It's fun when you look back and go, "wow, I've come so far".

Edit to add: wow, I remember I used a hammer on the brads, that's why they look so squished.

Scrap Day

2010-07-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

I hereby dub this Scrap Day. This is the day that you work on a project with nothing but scraps. That means you can't make a card base unless it's a left over piece that just happens to be big enough!!

Last week, before I headed out of town, I was working on a kids birthday card inspired by this card made by Libby. I was surprised at just how quick and easy it was to put together the faces!

See how cute they are?! My only pain is that I don't own the 1/2 circle punch (yet) and the 3/4 inch is too big. So I had to cheat and use Alphalicious cricut cartridge and cut out 12 letter i's. Oi! I'd hit "Cut" then "stop" once it was done the dot. (Er, I cut out 12, clearly, because I was doing TWO cards with three figures... hehe). I also need a sharper hole punch cause the one I have is cutting ragged circles.

At any rate, Koen was intrigued with my project and I dug out my scrap bin. I wasn't worried about cutting 1/2 circles for HIS eyes, he doesn't care. I put adhesive on the backs (I put the black dots on myself) and let him stick down the pieces where ever he wanted.

I think he kinda looks like Sid from Ice Age! Koen had fun making a few faces, which Kerowyn then colored for him.

Tools: SU Scallop punch, SU 1-1/4 circle punch (mouth), hole punch, cricut cause I'm too cheap to have already bought the 1/2 inch circle punch.

I'm sorry... with cricut

2010-07-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a card made entirely with a Cricut cutting machine. The cartridge I used comes with the Cricut (George and Basic Shapes) so a brand-new cricut owner can make this card easily!

I started with a 4.24x5 card base in Basic Black. Then I used some of my scrap card stock in Summer Sun, Only Orange and Real Rust to cut out @, # and & in both 1 inch and 1.5 inch sizes. I glued those down randomly (don't mind the still-wet glue in the picture!) on a 4inch chat bubble in Whisper White.

On the inside I did a couple more chat bubbles (1.5 and 3 inch I think) and a 1inch heart. I left the larger chat bubble blank but I'd wanted to stamp an "I'm sorry!" near the top (leaving room for hand written sentiment).

On a repeat of this card I think I might sponge the edges of the chat bubbles, red on the front and a soft pink on the inside.

Ronald McDonald House in Southern Alberta

2010-07-26T17:22:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Ronald McDonald House welcomes donations of CARDS and CRAFT supplies? I didn't! I do now though, and I've decided to see what I can do to collect materials and cards for the Ronald McDonald House Southern Alberta (that's cause it's in Calgary!).

My first question was, "what kind of cards? are they all 'get well soon' cards?" Nope! Any kind of card. A parent at a sick child's bedside doesn't need to worry about sending birthday cards or anniversary cards to friends and relatives, they should focus on being with their baby. What about birthday cards or thank you cards? Children's birthday cards especially!

My next question was, "what kind of craft supplies?" Well aside from kids crafts there is a need for scrapbooking supplies for families who find a way of coping with the stress by scrapbooking the experience.

So, do you want to contribute? I'd welcome your help! If you have any cards or supplies for donation please contact me at berkanaisageek(at)hotmail(dot)com. If you don't live in Southern Alberta there's a whole list of ladies accepting donations for other RMH locations over at Splitcoast Stampers!

Custom Card for Warcrafter in Love

2010-07-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here it is, my first ever custom card! The request came from a woman who plays a Draenei hunter and is in a relationship with a fellow who plays a Draenei shaman in the game World of Warcraft.

Hunters use bows and shaman use totems. It was a lot of fun coming up with a template for a totem (each race has totems that look different). I used a chipboard parenthesis with waxy for the bow. For the "flame" around the fire totem I used white ribbon colored with a SU marker.

The tree embellishment is from SU Thoughts & Prayers and the sentiment is from CTMH Picture Perfect.

Obviously I couldn't post the picture until the woman gave the card to her love, so here it is... a month later! I'm happy with how it turned out (and I kept the template for the totem!) I just hope HE likes it too!

For more information on how to get a custom made card or craft of your own please check out my post detailing the process.

Blogaversary give-away

2010-07-24T07:02:00.000-07:00

Woo! this is some SWEET candy! Thank you Gini for the chance to win... and the day after my birthday too!

Check out Gini's blog!

World of Warcraft: More DoTs

2010-07-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

Last night my daughter, Elora, inspired another World of Warcraft card. You may recall the "I've Got the HoTs for You" card I did a while back. DoTs are the opposite of HoTs and her blanket was covered in them!

DoT stands for "Damage Over Time" and means a type of damage dealing spell that... well... does damage... over... time. The phrase, "more dots", is something a group leader might call out when coordinating 10 or 25 people to take out the same bad guy. (It's FUNNY because of a recording that was passed around the internet long ago that I won't link in my blog... but most Warcrafters will remember the "More Dots" clip).

DoTs are also usually fairly small amounts of damage, so the sentiment is funny... to anyone who plays a warlock at least.

All I did for this card is punch out 3 sizes of circles (3/4inch, 1-1/4inch and 2inch) from my scraps bin... essentially anything with a dot on it... and used my Creative Memories bubble punch on some of them. Then I started layering. I had some sticker letters to do the text and done! The longest process was punching out all the circles.

Since she was my inspiration (or at least her blanket was) here's a picture of my cutie. She was 2 months on the 21st! They grow up SO FAST!

She's so coy hehe.

Kids Can Blog Too!

2010-07-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

Our morning routine involves getting the kids breakfast, making a pot of coffee and then Kerowyn and I head down to my computer. She sits on my lap and colors while I view check out my blog feeds in Google Reader (best invention EVER!). Kerowyn often comments on the blogs... especially if there's flowers; fairies; anything sparkly or... pets.

One of her favorites is Lucky Stamper because the image of Lucky is different (if not every day than close to it). The video below isn't from the morning but it shows how she responds none-the-less... the blog on the screen is Crafty Girl 21.