"New Love" using Counterfeit Kit

Now here is a layout that might never have been created if it weren't for this month's challenge at Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge blog:

(Grrrr, sorry about the lousy photo, but I'm using a camera phone as someone, i.e. loving husband, took both cameras and the corresponding camera cards to work and left them there!)  The prompt is "weddings", and I actually have an organized section of photos just of weddings of friends and relatives.  As I was searching through my photos, I was shocked to realize how many couples are now divorced or split up!  Kind of sad, and now I don't know what to do with all these photos - how dare they wreck my scrapbooking plans like this!!!  Just kidding, but seriously, I'm really glad that this photo is now on a layout of its own because someday, if not right now, the kids will want to know a bit about their great grandparents.  This is my mom's dad, and he's such a funny guy.  I'll have to get my mom to write down some stories about him, as he's in his 90's and it's highly unlikely we'll get to Australia to see him (although my mom promised that if he makes it to 100, she'll fly us all over there for his birthday!).  My mom's mom passed away in 2005, and a year later, papa's getting married again!  I guess when you're that old, carpe diem and all that, right? I think they make a pretty cute couple, and their outfits go absolutely perfectly with this Pink Paislee paper I've been hoarding for, like, ever!  My other favorite part of this layout is the journaling block - I ruffled up washi tape around the edge for a different effect.  Most of the products are from my June Counterfeit Kit, although I just had to sub in those Thickers for the title, they were too good of a match to leave out!

Here's the sketch I used from Sketches in Thyme, altered just a tad:

So there you have it!  I hope everyone out there has a great weekend, and makes some time for... (drum roll please!) a Canadian Cardmakers Canada Day Blog Hop!!!  Yes, July 1st is Canada Day, and I am taking part in a blog hop to celebrate with plenty of red & white, maple leaves galore, and possibly some Canadian products in the mix, so I'll see ya here bright and early Sunday morning, eh?  (P.S. - we don't really say "eh?" all the time, just when we want to sound more Canadian than we really are - or do we?  Guess you'll have to come to Canada to found out!)

Read More

Teacher Cards and a Smash Page

Today is the last day of school, and of course I didn't think to make cards (let alone gifts!) for my kids' teachers until yesterday.  Why do these things always sneak up on me?  Must have other things on my mind...  Anyway, I thought it best to keep my card design simple, but I also pre-ordered the new summer Distress Ink from Creative Accents and just got them yesterday - perfect time to play!  Here's what I came up with: 

Wow, I thought the spring release colours were fabulous, but I don't know, I think maybe Tim outdid himself with these!  Aren't they GORGEOUS?!?!  I quite like how the cards ended up, but I'm thinking maybe the "white space" is a little bit too empty?  I should have done some dry embossing or something... ah well, they're done and given away, too late to change anything now!  I used this sketch from Clean and Simple Stamping:

I haven't been doing a lot of smashing lately, and I think it's because I've been over thinking things a bit much.  I need to get away from the feeling that smashing is like scrapbooking, because they should feel totally different (at least, in my opinion).  Smashing should be more spontaneous and random, and so one night, I gathered up all my little souvenirs from the Fiesta crop in May and "smashed" them onto this page.  I think this is my favorite spread yet!  I also just grabbed some odds 'n' ends from my desk, like that silver shoelace in the bottom right, and stuck them on as well.  What do you think?

Close-up of the left side.  I've got my entry ticket, some draw tickets, a little title card from Simple Stories 6x6 Fabulous collection, and I die cut the wrapping paper from my door prize to make the flowers.

 And a close-up of the right.  The "Roxy" flag was my place marker, and the pocket was attached to the bottled water at my place setting.  Seeing Fiesta was a fundraiser for breast cancer, each pocket had the little pink ribbon clip attached - love that!  The silver paper is more of the wrapping paper from my door prize, and I embossed it on both sides using this tip I found on pinterest here.  The kraft paper that says "Fiesta" is actually part of our goodie bags - I just ripped it up and mod podged it onto the page.  I tucked a little journaling card into the pocket - it has my top 5 memories from the event.  And that's about it!

 Oh, you want to know about the photos, do you?  Haha, each table got together and put on these crazy glasses with the nose attached and had our photo taken.  Too fun!

Well, the kids are home now and summer's officially on!  Both Nolan and Ailis had wonderful report cards, I couldn't be more proud of their efforts!!!  Now what to do with them, eh?

Read More

"Dance Party" Using Counterfeit Kit

I'm not gonna lie, I love how this one turned out!

I used items from my June Counterfeit Kit (see the whole kit here) and added some bubble wrap/paint stamping to the background.  ("Use Paint" is one of the challenges over at Counterfeit Kits.)  Here's a close-up of some of the deets:  

You probably can't read the journaling all that well, so I'll type it out for ya here:

"Girls, shhh, I'm gonna tell you a secret - your daddy can't dance!  But hey, what he lacks in coordination, he makes up for with enthusiasm, and that's what counts.  Let's just hope he doesn't try to bust a move at your weddings one day, we wouldn't want him to hurt himself!  - March 2, 2012"

I really wanted to enter a challenge at Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge this month, seeing I missed last month.  Their challenge was to use this sketch:

and make a layout about a special dad in your life.  Well, I had recently taken these fun pics of Jason and the girls, and thought they'd be perfect.  The best thing about black & white photos is that you can use crazy colours like turquoise and orange and they don't clash at all!

And something funny I saw yesterday, thought I'd share with you.  Found this on pinterest and it is so much like how Nolan talks to Ailis (or everyone, really)!

It's that "theory of mind" thing that they say people with Asperger's lack.  They have trouble seeing anything from someone else's point of view.  Something we're constantly working on!  But it's kind of funny to watch it sometimes, too!  Well, speaking of Nolan, he's having a sick day today, poor guy.  I better go check on how he's doing.  Thanks for looking, and enjoy your Monday!

Read More

May Project 12 Using Counterfeit Kit

Quite a few people commented on my Counterfeit Kit, curious as to how I would use this "unusual" mix of products.  Well, here is the unveiling of my first layout:

I used this sketch posted over at the Counterfeit Kits challenge site:

 

I really enjoyed using this sketch, but it was pretty tricky to narrow down the photos, there were many great ones from May.  I especially love that one of Nolan running, his face is just so intense!!!  Here's a close-up of the left page:

 and one of the right:

 and an even closer view of the upper right cluster:

Note the buttons and twine!  Which reminds me, did you get your project in to Seriously Creative Challenges?  You still have time, and buttons and twine give a project just that little bit of dimension and flare, don't ya think?

I made the background paper by stamping and embossing a couple of the background stamps from my kit (I decided to use some really old bronze embossing powder for the grass stamp - fun to use an ancient item from my stash!) and inked over everything with my new Squeezed Lemonade Distress Ink and Spiced Marmalade Distress Stain.  Then I sprayed the whole shebang with Emerald Green Perfect Pearls Mist to give it that little bit of shimmer.  Took a bit of time, but I like how it's completely unique - Ailis said it looks like a sunset!  I made a couple of boo boos with the journaling, but what're ya gonna do?

Supplies:  Graphic 45 patterned paper, Close to My Heart Cardstock, clear detail embossing powder, and stamps (Intrinsic Backgrounds and Giggle Caps), Versamark Ink, Ranger/Tim Holtz ink, stain, stamp, and mist, Prima flowers, Twinery twine, Spellbinders dies, Creative Memories pen, unknown buttons 


I'm going to link this up over at Scrap Your Crap, whose challenge this month is "embossing".


And a quick update on the bus/bullying situation from my last post.  The parent was notified and the kids are on their last warning.  Somehow, I don't think that is good enough, and I'm not content to sit back and wait until the next time this tag team makes a "poor choice".  In the meantime, I've been walking my kids to and from the bus stop.  After writing a post on our elementary school's facebook page, other parents wrote in with some good advice and support, so I think my next step will be to write letters to the principal, school board and RCMP liaison officer, requesting that something further be done.  Wish me luck!

Read More

Experimental Card and a Major Rant!

I'm not too sure how I feel about this card, but it did allow me to play around with some new Distress Inks and Stain, and a fun packing tape/glitter technique I saw here (such a fun video, you really have to check this one out!).  Oh yeah, I also got to use my new Tattered Florals die on some vintage book paper.  (Here's a tip:  if you like the look of vintage book paper, but are cheap like me, check out your local library's annual book sale!  You can get a box of books for $5 and they always have some ancient donations just begging to be cut up or altered!)  I really like how the flower turned out, just not totally sold on the rest of it.  Here's a bit of an angled view so you can see the dimension on the little banners and the flower:

I used this sketch for inspiration, but missed the deadline (really?  Again?!):

I'm going to enter this card over at Bearly-Mine - this week's challenge is "flowers".

Okay, now for my rant!  Ooooh, I hope you're sitting down for this one, it's a doozy!  If you read my post a couple of weeks ago, you might recall that Nolan was attacked coming home from the bus one day.  The hooligans were throwing rocks at him, some of them hitting him in the head!!!  Luckily, he wasn't seriously injured, just scared and angry.  I called the school right away, and the principal said she would deal with the culprits.  I left it at that, trusting that the children involved would learn their lesson and never do anything like that again.  Boy, was I wrong on that account!  Yesterday, Ailis came home bawling her eyes out with her brand new pants covered in chocolate pudding!!!  Can you believe the instigator is a girl in Grade 1, along with her brother?  They are quite the team!   No kid deserves to be attacked like that, but ESPECIALLY not Ailis, she doesn't have a mean bone in her body.  Right away the mama claws came out, and when Nolan suggested we march down to their house and tell their parents, I was just mad enough to do it, although normally I despise confrontation of any kind.  I decided to call the school first, however, and again spoke to the principal.  When I let her know what I was thinking of doing, she said I should not go over there, but to call the bus garage and let them know as well.  The bus garage was no help at all, seeing that nothing occurred on the actual bus.  I'm starting to wonder if the school will be able to do anything, either, seeing nothing occurred on school property.  GGGGGGRRRRRRR!  I'm just so mad, and I'm not confident this will be dealt with to my satisfaction.  To my mind, both kids should not be allowed to be unsupervised.  Obviously they cannot handle themselves on their own.  Maybe I should be going to the bus with my kids, to keep an eye out, but I don't think I should have to do that.  My kids should be able to walk the equivalent of two blocks without being physically attacked.  It's the principle of the thing!  What would you do if it were your kids getting bullied like this?  I'm thinking school district, media, police... but then again, I'm still hopping mad and probably not being reasonable.


Whew, that feels better, just to write it all out!  Feels like a load has been lifted somewhat.  I have a meeting at the school tomorrow to plan Nolan's IEP (Individualized Education Plan) for next year, so hopefully I can get some of this other stuff resolved at the same time.  I'll keep you posted!    

Read More

June Counterfeit Kit

I am really excited about my kit this month because they're doing something different over at Counterfeit Kits for June, which made it easier for me to get my act together earlier!  Yay, me!  They posted a list of "ingredients" and you can go with any theme or colours you like, so if you've been wanting to play along, now's your chance to get in on the action!  I started with some newer patterned papers from my stash that seemed to go together:

From the top I've got MME, then Graphic 45 in the middle row, and 2 Pink Paislee pieces and a Simple Stories piece in the bottom row.  Then I pulled out some old Close to My Heart cardstock that coordinated, along with two alpha stamp sets that I love!:

And finally some coordinating inks, background stamps, and embellishments:

Now let's see what i can do with it!

Read More

Card for a Special Friend

Well, I finished a three week running program, and even though it was very difficult for me, I think it gave me the boost I needed to get going on a regular exercise/clean eating regime!  The best part of this clinic was meeting new people and getting to spend time with a new friend - I told her about the clinic, and she decided to give it a go, even though she's never run before, AT ALL!!!  I was so impressed with her effort, she came to every run and gave it her all, and she totally kicked my butt!  Anyway, I thought she deserved a special card to show how much I appreciate everything she's done for me and encourage her to keep going with the running.  What do you think, do the "Dancing Girlfriends" from Art Impressions fit the bill?  The sentiment that I stamped on here is so cute, it says "Dance like no one's watching... who can have you committed."  I stamped that last bit on the inside!  I thought it was appropriate as we often talk about how we're going to meet up at the asylum one of these days!  Here's a close up of some of the ladies:

I made the flowers with my NEW Tim Holtz Alterations die (tattered florals) and spring Distress Inks - they are so wonderful, I looooooove the blue especially.  And yay, I finally got to use one of Cheri's wonderful sketches AND get it linked up in time!

Can you see it?  I had to flip it sideways, and sub out one of the circles for the flowers, but I think it's pretty close.

I'm also going to enter this card at:

Art Impressions Challenge #66 - fitness

Bearly-Mine #39 - Tic Tac Toe (I used the line that says "dies, flowers, sentiment")

Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes

House of Gilli - vibrant summer colours

Stamp and Create - bold and bright

Thanks for looking!

Supplies:  Art Impressions stamp, Memento ink, Simple Stories patterned paper, Tim Holtz die and ink, Close to My Heart rhinestones, Twinery twine

Read More

April Project 12

It's a beautiful day in the South Cariboo, but I'm taking a break from the outdoor activities to bring you this layout:

I made a commitment to myself to continue on with the Project 12 idea this year, using a new Page Maps sketch each month to highlight our goings on.  For April I chose this sketch:

Isn't it a beaut?  I had to change some things a bit to make my photos fit, but I like how it worked out in the end.  Here's a close-up of the left page:

And the right:

The background cardstock was originally plain cream stuff - I coloured it first with Tea Dye Distress Ink, then I used some border punched scraps to make the vertical pattern, misting first with Tattered Leather and then Black Glimmer Mist.  I was looking to make a fairly neutral background so the brights of the photos would pop.  The journaling cards you see were a freebie from Secret Stash, but they're unfortunately not available anymore.

Made a couple more rosette flowers, and layered them up with little pink flowers, buttons, and a great paper doily.

Well, hope you had a great weekend!  Us here, we finally finished the backyard fence!!!  Only took a year to get going on.  Talk about procrastination!!!  This means I have a place to put Hunter when I go out for a couple of hours where he can't chew up Brenna's toys or books, or my radio!  You can!'t believe the stress that lifts off of me, phew!  Thanks for looking, and I appreciate all your comments, they always make my day!

Supplies:  CTMH cardstock, alpha stamp (Giggle Caps) and ink (Olive), Tim Holtz Distress Ink, border die, and tissue tape, K&Co Smash tape, BoBunny Double Dot and Echo Park patterned paper, Secret Stash journaling cards, unknown ribbon, photo corners, doily, and buttons

Read More

A RAK Card for Buttons & Twine Challenge

If you are part of the Canadian Crafters Facebook group, then you probably read about how proud Sharon Greenaway is of her son Brandon - he's graduating from high school this month.  Brandon has special needs, so his mom wants to make his graduation a very special occasion for him.  She's appealed to our group, asking for willing crafters  to send Brandon a key chain from their hometown.  Since I worked with a group of special needs kids at the high school in Burns Lake in 2008, I've had a bit of a soft spot for those with developmental delays and difficulties.  And now, having my son Nolan recently diagnosed with Asperger's, Sharon's request hits especially close to home.  So, I searched all over 100 Mile House and finally found a key chain for Brandon (not much of a selection, I'm telling ya!)  Then I sat down to create this card for him: 

Here's a couple of close-ups (note the buttons and twine - added especially for the June Challenge at Seriously Creative Challenges, hope you can join in this month):

What do you think?  I hope Brandon will like it, and because I thought the 100 Mile House key chain looked so boring, I decided to send him an Australian key chain as well.  If anyone reading this would like to send Brandon a key chain, you still have time - leave me a comment and I'll pass the address your way!

I'm entering this card into these challenges:

DL.ART Thankful Thursday Challenge - Card for a man
Pixie Dust Studio - Use three or more patterned papers
Sassy Studio Designs - Use something wet (I used Glimmer Mist on my card base!)

Well, that's it for today!  I'm feeling marginally better, but still a bit congested.  Brenna's napping so maybe I'll go have a little snooze, too!  But...probably the dishes need doing more.  The dilemma of a stay-at-home mom!

Oh, PS - this card was entirely cased (and very blatantly) from this one I found on pinterest! 

Read More

New Challenge at Creative Accents and a Brenna Layout

Did you hear?  It's June now (really snuck up on me!) and that means a new challenge at Creative Accents Challenges:

 Now I was cropping with Tara when we brainstormed this idea, and I thought it would be a good one for June for all those masculine Father's Day cards.  Little did I know that someone on the design team (not naming any names here!) absolutely hates buttons and thinks they should be reserved only for clothing.  Really?!  I love using buttons, they are such an easy accent to use, but then again I've been known to sew on my cards and pages too - wonder what Janet thinks of that (oops, sorry, the name slipped out, heehee!)

I was digging through my junk drawer for paper clips when I came across this little tin left behind by my mom:

Check out the jackpot inside!  Love the wooden ones:

 So I don't have a "Button and Twine" creation for you tonight, but I do have this layout I've been working on for quite some time:

 I started this one at the Fiesta Crop and it was 99% finished, I just had to add journaling, and yet there it sat on my table for a whole month!  Here's a close-up of the journaling:

 And another of my cluster:

 I really love how those Prima canvas flowers turned out.  I used some Spiced Marmalade Distress Stain and Worn Lipstick Distress Ink to make them all two-toned like that.  I know I used a sketch, but it's been so long I wasn't sure which one.  I think it's this one here from Sketchabilities:

Wow, I haven't felt this lousy in a long time!  My throat feels like I swallowed a dozen razor blades.  I'm off to try that numbing spray again, maybe this time I'll aim it properly instead of getting my cheek all numb!  Hope you can join us over at Creative Accents Challenges, and make sure to check out their new online store - introductory $5 Canadian shipping, can't beat that!

Supplies:  Basic Grey and Luxe patterned paper, MME acrylic title and die cut, Spellbinders die, Prima canvas, Ranger/Tim Holtz ink and stain, Creative Memories pen

Read More