Veranda Paper and a Cherished Moment

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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).