It's Been A Long Time.......

since I have done a post on my blog. It is not that I haven't had things to post, it has just been very busy around our house. With 4 teenagers, things are never dull. I used to post on my blog first thing in the morning or late in the evening. There are too many things to be done in the morning before I head to work, and I escape to my room with a good book instead of my computer these days. It is a good thing for me, but bad for my blog readers.

Just before Christmas we added another 'little one' to our family. She is the perfect addition to our family of adults, kids and cats. Everyone just loves her to bits.

On Tuesday I was supposed to have what I would consider the perfect day! A full day of scrapbooking with friends and 2 hockey games. It did not go as planned.

I arrive at the store and got myself organized. I wasn't there long and I had to slip out for the first hockey game. I had my hot chocolate in hand and was really enjoying the game when I received the phone call from Shannon and Amanda about our little kitty. Somehow she found a bungee cord in our basement and thought it would make a good toy. She ended up getting the hook stuck in her mouth and did a lot of damage while trying to get it out.

I left the game and raced home to find her covered in blood and almost passing out. We made an emergency call to our vet and raced her there. She had to be sedated so they could assess the damage. The vet was concerned that she may have a tear in her esophagus (that would be very bad news). After further investigation we were given the news that she had a lot of cuts and tears in her mouth (that explains all the blood) and that there was a lot of swelling in the upper part of her gums and jaw area. This would get worse before it would get better, but she would be okay.

She was given a shot of antibiotics that would be good for 2 weeks, a shot for pain and swelling, and I was given a bill for $180. When we brought her home she was very sleepy and didn't even want to be held. Later in the day she started moving around and eating soft cat food (her favourite). Her eye was quite swollen and when she turned certain ways you could see blood too.

Needless to say, I didn't make it back to scrapbooking. The next hockey game wasn't until 9:30pm, so I did manage to make it to that one. I also watched the World Junior's game on TV with my hubby and Jay. The day ended up okay in the end, just not exactly what I had planned.

Sketch Support is going to be launching their new site on January 1st. I have been busy with my design team sketches and will be posting them through the upcoming month. I also completed my calendars and will share the finished pages as soon as I take the photos. I was sort of hoping for a nice sunny day.

Enjoy that last few days of the year.....I am off to the semi-final game in Jay's hockey tournament. Wish us luck!

Christmas Cookies

Last night I spent the evening baking with Amanda. She is always so busy with school, work, friends and Jake that I hardly see her. It was wonderful to spend some quality time with her.

On Tuesday evening she took a course on working with royal icing and fondant and decorating cookies. We couldn't wait to try out all the techniques she learned. After gathering all her supplies we got to work and this is what we created.

Christmas Trees

Snowflakes

Snowmen

Here they are all together. They are as delicious as they look. Her brothers were stopping by often to see the progress and couldn't wait to taste test!

She will be taking orders for these delicious treats, starting today. You can check out her blog here. I am so proud of her. She works so hard and really enjoys baking.

A Visit To Supperworks!

I was lucky enough this week to get an extra day off and my mom and I had the opportunity to try out SupperWorks. I had heard great things about it and I really wanted to give it a try.

My mom belongs to some special group and she can get free tickets and other goodies, so when SupperWorks came up, she jumped at the chance to go. After she committed to the date, she realized that it was in Toronto.......oops! I didn't see the problem. It was located very close to Sherway Gardens, so we made a day of it. A BIG thank you to Shelby for covering the store for me. It was in great hands and I really appreciated the time with my mom!

Here is a photo of one of the stations where you put together the different recipes.


My mom went first. They served us a glass of wine (I was the designated driver, so I passed).

There was a bunch of items to add to our chicken......but the cool thing was we didn't have to chop any of it, or shop for any of it.

Then it was my turn......don't I look good in my apron?

I am adding some cranberry sauce.

Everything was added to this zip-lock bag and sealed up tight.

Then we put a label on the front with cooking instructions. This dish could be cooked in the crockpot or the oven.

Here is a photo of the recipe that we followed.

When we were done (took a total of about 10 minutes) we drank our wine, sampled some soup and chatted with the other 'chefs'.

I made the chicken for dinner tonight and it was delicious. Even Jason ate it, which is really amazing. It was great to spend some time with my mom, outside the store. I helped her out with some Christmas shopping and got a jump start on mine too. I hope we get another opportunity to do it again soon.

More Great News!

Oh my gosh, it has been a very exciting week! Last night I posted my first publication (well, I can't actually post the layout) and now I am going to tell you some more great news!

Earlier this week I received an email from Allison Davis.......requesting my acceptance to her new SG Publishing Creative Team!!!!!! Yesterday it was officially announced (check it out here). I am super excited to be a part of this and I know that you are going to love it too! I have created a category along the sidebar of my blog with links to all the team members blogs.

We have received our first assignments and all the fun starts on January 1st! Check back here often to see what we have been up to!

My First Publication :)

A few months ago I was asked if I would create a layout based on a sketch by Allison Davis (I am her #1 fan) to be published in an online magazine. I was asked by Allison herself, which was such a huge honor.

She sent me this sketch:

This is what I created:

Supplies: Paper, Alphabet, Stickers, Brads: Karen Foster Design, Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper, Ink: Tim Holtz (Ranger Industries), Markers: American Crafts, Font: Bradley Hand ITC, Other: die cuts. Tools: Stamp: Close To My Heart, Other: sewing machine.

I completely enjoyed working with this sketch. Allison's sketches really inspire me and bring out the best in my scrapbooking.

You can check out the article, my layout and the other layouts that were submitted using the same sketch. Click here to visit ScrapStreet!

Christmas Cards & Tags!

It is almost the end of November and that means that our Christmas card and tag swap is coming up at the store. I decided to join in both (not sure what I was thinking there, but I managed to pull it off) and I am super excited to share my creations.

My tag was inspired by a few different ideas that I spotted on the internet. I love working with kraft cardstock and white ink (the combination is amazing) so I combined it with glitter and Christmas colours to make my tag!

My cards also include kraft cardstock and this time I added the details with a white pen.



They were inspired by a design that I found on the Jillibean Soup blog. I added a touch of Stickles to each of the gifts to make them sparkle.

I can't wait to see what all the other 'swappers' have been up to. I will be sure to post everything after the swap!

So Excited!

Today I submitted my application to be a part of Allison Davis' new Sketch blog. As most of you know, I have been a big fan of Allison's sketches for a while now, and I never thought that I would end up working with her.

I have had the opportunity to do a layout for Allison for an upcoming article for ScrapStreet (it will appear in December and I will post it then) and I was also a guest designer on her blog for Sketch Week in November. When I heard about the opportunity to be a part of a team and work with the sketches each month, I just knew I had to apply!

Here is my single page submission.

Here is my double-page submission.

Wish me luck!!!!!

Please Help!

Can someone please explain to me why I ask him to do dishes?

This Is So Cool Dude!

I am typing this post from Erie, Pennsylvania! I left this morning at 5:45am on a bus with my sister to do a little shopping. It is now 8:35pm and I am on the computer in the lobby of the hotel.

I just had to get on here and do a post about my very first guest designer spot. I was this month's guest designer for Allison Davis' Sketch Week!

Here is the sketch.......

Here is my layout........

Layout details:

• To create the patterned paper background sheet, I hand cut the border from the paper.

• I used my sewing machine to add blue stitching to the pattern paper. It helps to define the space and pop it off the white background

• I arranged the photos very similar to the sketch. I added 2 smaller prints to the 4x6 spot on page 2. I also sanded the edges of each photo to help them stand out on the dark blue background. I always mat my photos.

• For the title, I used a variety of products......chipboard, stickers, pattern papers, etc. This creates a focal point on the page that helps to describe how Jason was feeling when we were on this trip. The arrow points to the photo of the artist doing his work. Jason was so fascinated by this.

• For the other embellishment areas, I added some buttons, die-cuts, stickers etc to tie in the theme of the page. I used foam adhesive on the stickers in the lower right corner of page 2 to create some dimension on my page and help balance out the title.

• I wanted my journaling to be present, but not stand out. I chose to used white for the journaling strips, but I added the square brads to help pull some of the yellow from the photos on page 1 over to page 2.

• I applied Vintage Photo Distress Ink to all of my pattern papers, cardstock (not the dark blue), stickers, die-cuts etc. I love how it softens the entire layout and pulls everything together.

I had so much fun playing along.

I Remember

This November, make remembrance more than something you feel. Make it something you do.

Yikes!

So, Joanne made me this sweet jar for our retreat weekend and it was full of Skittles! Yummy!!

I don't know what happened, but it is empty. I have lots and lots of things I need to do over the next few days, and I am not sure I can get through it all without my sweet jar.

Joanne, if you read this post, can you please refill my sweet jar? Thanks so much :)

Sneak Peek

I have been busy working away on my tags for the tag swap we are having at the store! I have to make 20 tags in total and on December 1st we get together and swap them with everyone that is participating.

Here is a sneak peek of mine:

I tried out a new product and technique I discovered at Scrapfest! Actually, Amanda is the one that pointed it out. I worked with glitter, stamps, Copics, ink, ribbon, and even a candy cane!

I will share the finished product closer to the swap!

My Scrap Space

I was on our forum yesterday and I noticed that someone had started a thread about our scrap spaces. I really enjoyed looking through all the different posts and decided that it was time for me to post some photos of my space!

I need a space that is all about function. I don't have loads of money to spend on all sorts of fancy decor pieces. I totally love the area that I have created! It is located on the main floor of our home. We have an office off the kitchen and I share this space with my hubby. It works out great when he is working with his computer stuff, I can play with my toys too. My kids always know where I am and I can even prepare meals while I play (this usually doesn't end well, as I usually forget the meal part and end up burning something).

This is Cooper. He is usually in my room with me. He climbs up to the tallest shelf in the room and plunks himself down.

This is a tower that holds 12 of these fabulous drawers. I have them labeled and when I need something I pull the entire drawer out and rummage through.

Here is where I keep my stamps, blocks, mounting foam, photos, floss, etc.

My clip it up is packed with left over things from sticker sheets, chipboard pieces and odds and ends.

I recently made a space for my sewing machine. I found I wasn't using it because it was not accessible. I need to make a cover for it. For now I use an old pillowcase from when I was a kid. It does the job, but not so pretty!

My Cricut machine has a special spot so that if I need it, all I do it turn it on and we are in business.

This is another wonderful cabinet with 6 bins filled with various items.

My Copics, pencils, and my Cuttlebug.

My laptop is right by my side. I listen to music, chat with friends, visit forums and my favourite blogs.

Here is my workspace.......it never looks this neat.

Here is another angle......oh, see my sweet treats?

Meet Maya! She wanders in and out of my room as well. Sometimes she climbs up on the hutch next to my small Cricut and falls asleep!

Right next to me I have 9 little drawers that hold my ribbon, inks, mists, adhesive etc!

This is where I store my paper scraps. On the left is all cardstock and the bin that is opposite it holds the pattern paper. They are labeled by colour families.

This bin holds my Cricut stuff, punches and Cuttlebug stuff.

That is my tour! Like I said, nothing too fancy but very functional. I just spent a bunch of time tidying up and it is ready for me to start creating again.