I've Flipped

So, if you are new to my blog, I should probably fill you in a bit before I get too far into this post. I am almost 45 years old and until about 1 1/2 years ago, I had never (that's right, NEVER) read a book from front to back. I attempted many times, but was never successful.

I used to listen to people talk about books they had read and hear them recommend books to others. I used to think.......why would you read a book, when you can just watch the movie? That has all changed for me now. I am currently reading my 25th book and I find myself completely obsessed.

I have joined several online book sites as I am always looking for my next good read. About a year ago I purchased a Kindle (e reader) so that I could download books and save a bit of money. I also went to the library and got a library card and began borrowing books (worried that I wouldn't be able to finish reading them in the 3 week loan time).

Now, I am the one that is talking about books I have read or am reading. I share books with my friends and hardly ever watch TV anymore. I find myself staying up extra late, just to finish a chapter or two, or three before I go to bed. I take my book everywhere with me, in case I get a spare moment to read a few pages.

My most recent read is a book called Flipped. I was on Pinterest and saw the cover of this novel and it sent me on a chase to find out what it was about.


Bryce and Juli tell the story of their relationship. It all began in second grade when Bryce moves in across the street from Juli. Juli instantly has a crush on Bryce, who doesn’t reciprocate, and throughout elementary school he tries to avoid her. In middle school, they both start to realize Bryce’s flaws. When Bryce begins to try to change, he starts to notice Juli’s good points. Their families and other things outside of them undergo several changes as well.

The chapters in this novel switch between both Juli and Byrce’s stories and their point of views with their interactions with each other. I laughed the hardest at Juli’s point of view because I can totally relate to her thoughts and actions. This entire book is hilarious because I believe all of us can relate to both of these kids.

If you are an avid reader and are looking for a good book, it is a light and easy read and I highly recommend it. I have created a separate page on my blog to keep track of all the books I have read. If you want to check them out you can click the tab at the top of this page.

The weather has turned very cold and it is beginning to snow. I hope you are snuggled up inside, reading a good book.

Hangin' With My Snowmies

It is my favourite week over at Sketch Support.........2-page sketch week. Allison designed an awesome sketch for us to work with. You can download your own copy on the site.

I used the new Pink Paislee - Snow Day collection for my layout. I just love the colours and patterns.

I used the 3D stickers and die-cuts to embellish my page. I just had to add some hand stitching to accent the rolling hills as well as a little bling in the center of the snowflakes.

I just love the title of my layout. I saw this as a sentiment for a snowman stamp somewhere and it was perfect for these photos. It says 'Hangin With My Snowmies' (in case you can't read the small letters).

I used some of the die-cut words and place them between the photos along the bottom of my layout. I popped them up with foam adhesive for extra dimension. I rediscovered this awesome border punch too. It was buried deep in my punch drawer......so glad I found it again.

I added some more snowflakes to page two of my layout. I also downloaded a new font for my journaling. It is called Baby Boston. I am not sure where I got it, but it is my new favourite.

I hope you visit the Sketch Support site and check out what the other creative team members are creating. There is so much inspiration!

Happiness - The Cutting Cafe

Happy Tuesday everyone! Here is Ontario, Canada we are have some amazingly mild January weather. Usually we are experiencing below zero temperatures and when you factor in wind chills, it is even colder.......instead we are enjoy above zero temperatures! I hope it stays like this until April :)

Today I would like to share my layout that I created using some amazing printable stamps from The Cutting Cafe. This week the team had the opportunity to work with the Long Sentiment Tags.

I used a sketch from Sketchy Thursday's to create my layout. You can check out the sketch here.

I chose the 'Remember to' design from the sentiment tags and printed it the same size that the file comes in. To mark off the boxes I punched out some small flowers using my 1/2-inch circle punch and used foam adhesive to pop them up.

I hand cut the bird and flowers out of the paper and added stitching to the birds wing and popped everything up using foam adhesive. I wrapped some twine around my page a couple of times and tied a bow and then added a button for extra detail.

As you can tell, I love to add stitching for extra dimension. I used black to stitch around the edges of this die-cut. I also added a stamped border around my page when I had everything in place.

I added another bird/flower cluster at the top of the photo for balance. I also added some stitching to the letters to help them stand out a bit better.

Be sure to visit The Cutting Cafe blog to see all the creations from the design team (this will be posted on Wednesday).

Brrr.....

Happy New Year everyone! I know this isn't my first post of 2012, but it is my first Sketch Support post!!!!! I am so happy to be a part of this team for another year. Allison's sketches really inspire me.

This week is card week and here is the sketch that we received to work with.

I decided to make a 2-page layout instead of a card.

The hanging snowflakes worked perfectly for my page. I added some printouts and bling to the center of each snowflake and used white floss for my stitching.

I found a new designer for some cutting files and printouts. I received a gift certificate from both of my sisters for Christmas so I couldn't wait to use some of them. You can check her out at Kerri Bradford Studio.

I was so inspired by a glitter technique that Christa did recently and I just had to give it a try. I am really not much of a glitter person, but it turned out awesome. I added it to the snowflakes.....just look at them sparkle.

I created the snowman using one of the cutting files. I added some stitching and glittered the snowflake for his hat (I was on a roll with the glitter).

I also added some bling to the border on my page too.

Be sure to visit the Sketch Support site and see what the rest of the team has been up to this week. I will return next week with another 2-page layout.

Loopy, Loopy Bow Flower - The Cutting Cafe

I am very happy and excited to be revealing my first couple of projects for The Cutting Cafe! This week the design team was given the Loopy, Loopy Bow Flower cutting file to work with.

Here is the gift wrapping project I posted previously (oops, I messed that up). I used the file and cut all three sizes for the bow and layered them together, fastening them with a brad.

Here is a close-up. I used double-sided paper in two different colours.

I added some jingle bells and curly ribbon to help jazz it up a bit. This was made for a Christmas present, but you could do the same for any occasion.....birthday, wedding, baby shower.

I was having so much fun with this file, I decided to make another project using fabric. I cut the pieces out of cardstock and used them as a pattern to cut out my fabric.

I used 2 coordinating colours and cut 2 each of the medium and small sizes. I layered each flower opposite of each other and embellished the middle with a button and a bow tied from twine.

I used a hot glue gun and adhered the finished flowers to some headbands and created these handmade beauties for my daughter.

Amanda wore one to work yesterday and received all sorts of compliments on it. It was really easy to do and I was finished the entire project in about 20 minutes.

Be sure to visit the Cutting Cafe blog (reveal day is on Wednesday) and check out what the other girls on the team have done with the Loopy, Loopy Bow Flower.