Saturday, February 28, 2009

Latest IceCROPades Challenges

Here are last week's challenges for The Scrapping Nook's IceCROPades online crop.


The Thank You card is my creation for the "It's Tool Time" challenge. I used a corner rounder punch, paper piercer, Tim Holtz design ruler, Crop-a-Dile, Cuttlebug and Cuttlebug embossing folder on this card. The Thank You is cut from a Bo Bunny paper.



My Happiness is You card is for the "Getting 'Felt' Up" challenge. I used my Quickutz stamp and a Studio G stamp on this one. The flowers and leaves are all felt. I cut the butterfly from a PDQ paper, added Stickles and pop dotted it on the page.



Li'l Heartbreaker is my response to the "I'm Seeing Red" challenge. We could only use shades of red on this layout. I love this picture of Sam taken for Valentine's Day this year. I used two of my new EK Success punches on this layout.



U 2 R My Heart was completed for the "It's A Material World" challenge. We were required to use material on a layout. I cut the big heart out of the cardstock, covered the opening with material, made a smaller heart for the photo mat, and created the flower using extra material. The heart cut from the Making Memories paper was covered with Stickles and pop dotted on the page.

Monday, February 23, 2009

The Rest of My Layouts For Flipper's BIRTHDAY Crop

Woo hoo!!!! I managed to complete all 20 challenges for Flipper's Birthday Crop through The Scrapping Nook this weekend!!!!!! I'm doing a happy dance here!!!!!!


The Thinking of You card was created for the "Scrapping With The Oldies" challenge. We had to use three things from our stash that were more than two years old. I found three papers that I know have had for at least that long, as well as some old paper fasteners. The colours are soft, but look better in real life.



Happy Valentine's Day 2009 is for the "3-4 Photos" challenge. Our challenge was to use three photos at 4x6 and four photos that were smaller than 3x5. I really like how this one turned out.



Our Princess is for the "A Bit Sketchy" challenge. We were given a layout from ScrapChallenge.com and had to do a layout or card for it. This is my creation. I love these pictures of Sara in my wedding dress.




The Just For You card was created for the "Flipper" challenge. We could only use items on our card that started with the letters FLIPPER. I used Flowers, Liquid Pearls and Letters, Ink, Paper and Pink, Punch, Embossing folder, and Ribbon.



I Adore You is my creation for "Elia's Stash Stew" challenge. Our challenge was to create a layout using 1 sheet of cardstock, 2 styles of patterned paper, 1 bling, 5 buttons, 3 pieces of ribbon, 4 different fonts, and 1 piece of chipboard.



I created a birthday card for the "A Birthday To Remember" challenge. I used Basic Grey papers, a Studio G stamp, Staz On ink, ColorBox Scarlet Cats Eye, and cut my candles from another paper that I don't know who manufactured. The candles are pop dotted on the card. 

Sunday, February 22, 2009

More From Flipper's Birthday Crop

I've been working hard on the challenges for The Scrapping Nook this weekend. Here are the ones I've completed since the last post.


The Colour challenge required us to use Elia's favourite colours - cream, blue and black. I created this Thinking of You card using some Bo Bunny papers that I cut snowflakes from.



For the "Shades of Grey" challenge I created a card that can be used for any occasion. I embossed it in my Cuttlebug and highlighted the flowers with Stickles.



Feeling Good was created for the "Feeling Good" challenge. I used some of my new Jillibean Soup papers for this layout.



My Ideal Life is my creation for the "Deal or No Deal" challenge. Artwork is a free image from the internet. 



Li'l Man Sam is my response to the "All Mixed Up" challenge. We had to use papers from four different manufacturers on this one. It gave me an opportunity to use some more of my Jillibean Soup paper!!!!



Thanks So Much is a card I created for the "Negative Nellie" challenge. We were challenged to use the negative part of a chipboard shape. I used Basic Grey Bittersweet scraps for this card.



Time To Go was created for the "Anger Management 101" challenge. We had to scrap about our feelings about snow. I love these papers I found in my stash. I hand cut the house and the trees so that I could use them where I wanted them to be.



The Zorra Highland Choir layout was for the "In A Snap" challenge. We had to scrap an older photo. This was the choir when I was in elementary school at good old Zorra Highland Park.



This card was created for the Quote challenge. I used a scrap from Basic Grey's Ambrosia line.



Just A Note was created for the "When I Grow Up I Wanna Be Just Like Flipper" scraplift challenge. I used scraps from the Basic Grey Bittersweet line for this card.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Flipper's Fun & Fanciful Fab Friday Frenzy BIRTHDAY Crop

The Scrapping Nook is having another online crop this weekend. This one is in honour of Elia's (Flipper's) birthday. There are twenty challenges posted and I am working my way through them, hoping to get them all done before the deadline on Monday morning. Here my first four challenges.


Forever Love was a response to the An Ode to Flipper challenge. We had to use notebook paper on our layout. I decided to scrap this photo of my parents, one of the last ones taken of them before my Dad passed away. Their love truly was and is a Forever Love. I miss my Daddy so much.



A Laugh A Day was created for the See Spot Run challenge. We had to do a layout about a pet, so I chose my favourite picture of Brody and Weeble. He was my laughing boy and one of the sweetest cats I've ever owned. Thanks to this challenge I actually used some of the cat paper I've been saving for several years now.



Perfection was an Art challenge. I was inspired by the colours in the art piece and used a Bisous PDQ page as part of my layout. 



Zzzonked was created for the Ad challenge. We were given an iced tea ad for inspiration. This is my creation.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Scrapping Nook Challenges

I now have the other three challenges completed for this week at The Scrapping Nook. I just finished the last one a short time ago. I'm really loving the IceCROPades challenges they are posting!!!!!


It's Rosey was created for the "True Colours" challenge. We could only use cream, pink, raspberry and black to create our layout. I used my newest Quickuts 12" border for this one -- twice!!!! And there's my favourite punch too!!!!



Just A Little Kiss was for the "Patti Patti Bo Patti" scraplift challenge. I couldn't resist using the design of the layout to scrap these adorable photos of Sam and Sara kissing for Valentines. My little man really likes to kiss LOL.


Little Prince is for the "I Challenge You To A Dual" challenge. We had to use two 4x6 photos on a one page layout. This Three Bugs In A Rug paper worked perfectly with these pics of Sam on his birthday last year.

Love Is In The Air


Here is one of the layouts I completed this week for The Scrapping Nook's IceCROPades challenges. This one is for the Love Is In The Air challenge. We had to use the word "love" on a layout. This also coincides with one of Tara's blog challenges this month, so at least I have one of her challenges done.

I stamped the background - and I'm not entirely thrilled with how it turned out. I think for one thing I need a bigger acrylic block. Bummer. The cut out Bisous paper is actually pop dotted on the background. In case you can't guess, these are my favourite valentines. I love them so!!!!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

25 Random Things

I've been tagged many times on Facebook in the last little while to do my "25 Random Things" list. I've been putting it off - not because I don't want to do it, but because other things keep getting in the way. I actually like these kind of things, because they give little insights into the person who has written them -- and it is all for fun!! So I decided to put it here on my blog as well as on Facebook. 

So, deep breath, here goes ...

1. Sara, Samuel and Gary are my everything -- nothing on this earth compares to them and the love I have for them.
2. I am deeply, completely and whole heartedly in love with someone other than my husband - His name is Jesus and I owe everything to Him.
3. I talk to God and Jesus every day, sometimes many times a day. I know they are always with me, always listening and will always help me through whatever challenges I have to face. I know they hear my prayers and will always answer them.
4. Whenever I see a fire truck, ambulance or police car with the lights and siren going I say a prayer for the safety of the people in that vehicle and those they are going to help. 
5. I cannot understand how people think it is completely acceptable to pay someone millions of dollars a year to chase a ball around, or sing on a stage for a few hours, or act in movies or television shows, but condemn fire fighters, police officers, and doctors for the amount of money they make. When was the last time that a baseball player, musician or actor stopped a house from burning down, saved a person's life or rescued a person whose life was in danger? I'd much rather give my money to people who are saving lives and making the world a better place, than to people who only care about their own egos.
6. I don't drive at night - trust me, that's a good thing. Driving isn't easy to do with your eyes closed. My theme song at night is "Blinded By The Light".
7. I had a bicycle accident in 2000, on September 11th. It earned me the nickname "Crash" at work and the joke was that I was literally throwing myself at men.
8. I've had a headache 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year since that accident. So far no medication has managed to take it away.
9. One of the most annoying things about having an invisible 'disability' are the people who say "Well you look okay" -- especially those people who should know better.
10. I will do anything in the world for my children, even if it causes me pain. I'm smiling in all of the photos because I don't want every picture of my children's childhoods to be of me looking like I'm in pain.
11. The most glorious sound in the world to me is the sound of my children  -- to me the sound of their laughter is like angels singing.
12. I know without a shadow of a doubt that I was put on this earth to be Mommy to Sara and Samuel.
13. I had midwives for both of my pregnancies. They were both wonderful amazing women and I cherish that time under their care. I highly recommend midwives -- you won't get better care.
14. I believe in angels. My children have a bunch of guardian angels and so do I. I know they are with us every day.
15. My best friend died tragically when I was in grade twelve. It took me years to recover from that loss. I still miss him. There were a lot of very uncertain dark times in those years, but one thing I always knew was that my Lord never once left my side and still hasn't.
16. The day I was baptized I literally felt the hand of God holding me. I've never forgotten that moment. It was the most incredible moment of my life, followed closely by the births of my children and the day I married my soulmate.
17. I wear my heart on my sleeve and have a tendency to trust people too deeply. Unfortunately a lot of people take advantage of that, betray my trust and break my heart. You'd think I would have learned my lesson by now, but I keep on trusting and keep on getting my heart broken.
18. Gary is my soul mate. He is the person I was born to fall in love with, my destiny, my dream come true. I will love him until the end of time and beyond. He and I will always be together.
19. I regret that my Daddy didn't live long enough to meet Gary and his grandchildren. But, then again, he watches over them every day so he knows them very well.
20. I realized I was in love with Gary after getting a concussion from getting hit in the head with a basketball --- people recovering from head injuries should not get hit in the head. However, it did make me really see what I had right in front of me so that was a good thing.
21. I wanted to be a doctor when I was growing up. I don't regret becoming a teacher --- I love my career --- but there are days I still think about being a doctor.
22. I am a fan of classic television shows. I'd much rather pull out one of my DVD sets than watch most of what is currently on television. The exceptions would be the new Doctor Who, American Idol, and 24 (although I really don't like all the profanity). I'd much rather watch The Big Valley, Emergency or Little House on the Prairie to name a few of my favourites than most of the stuff that is being aired today. I just can't accept the level of profanity and disrespect on most of the shows.
23. I was blessed to have grown up with three of the most amazing men and two of the most amazing women in my life - and I miss them all deeply. They were a gift in my life that I will cherish forever. I will forever be grateful for the lessons they taught me and the love they gave me while they walked this earth. They are my guardian angels and their names (in no particular order) are Kenneth, Donald, Stanley, Violet and Dorothy. I love them all and always will.
24. I am addicted to scrapbooking. I do it to preserve the past and the present for the future. I know those memories are precious and want them to always be there for my children and their children.
25. I miss my Daddy so much that my heart aches for him every day. He is always on my mind and always in my heart. I wish I could have just one more day with him, be able to see him hold his grandchildren, hear his voice one more time, wrap my arms around him and tell him how much I love him. I love you Daddy!!!!

I actually think I could come up with more things, but 25 is enough for now.

What would be on your list of 25 random things?

Monday, February 16, 2009

Kreativ Blogger


I have been a little slow getting things done recently, so this post is well overdue.


I am honoured to announce that a very special lady named Joanne gave me the Kreativ Blogger award recently. I am so touched that she feels I am worthy of receiving this honour. Joanne is a wonderful lady and is one of the two owners of a fabulous local scrapbook store that I love - Two Scrapbook Friends. If you happen to be in Waterloo Ontario I highly recommend that you check out their awesome store. You won't be disappointed!!! Both Joanne and Carolyn are super friendly, and you are guaranteed to find items that you can't possibly do without. They always have amazing papers and embellishments, as well as the most fabulous classes/kits I have ever seen. I am a self admitted kit addict and very rarely ever leave the store without at least one new kit in my possession. It is also a great store if you are into the Cricut, because not only do they carry the cartridges and accessories, but they will gladly order things in for you AND they rent out the cartridges. How cool is that????


Joanne has a wonderful blog -- very heart warming, welcoming and beautiful -- just like Joanne herself. She has a way with words -- it seems like she knows the perfect way to capture and express things. I love reading her blog!!! I hope you will check it out too.

So, as part of the Kreativ Blogger award I am supposed to share a few things about myself. 


7 things I did before:
drove at night
rode my bicycle daily
slept in often
spent a lot of time at stores that sold CDs 
lived in an apartment
read for hours on end
dabbled in a variety of crafts


7 things I do now:
wake up to the sound of sweet little voices (my wonderful Sara and Sam)
scrapbook
live in a wonderful house with my beautiful family
play with toys
shop mainly at scrapbook stores
enjoy having someone else do all the cooking (thanks Gary!!!!)
feel completely and richly blessed (thank you God!!!!)


7 things I want to do:
get rid of my headaches and feel better
travel with my family
be able to wear my skinny clothes
keep in touch with people more regularly
do more things with my children
be a better scrapbooker
be a better Christian (we can all stand to improve, right?)



7 people I nominate for this award:


Thanks again Joanne!!!! This means so much to me :)

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Another IceCROPades Challenge


I finally finished my last Ice CROPades challenge for this week. "Dear Lord" is in response to the Dear challenge, requiring us to write a letter. I wrote a letter to my Lord. I coloured the paper with my Glaze pens and really love the result. I was afraid I wouldn't get this one done in time, but I squeezed it in before the deadline at The Scrapping Nook. Love this photo, but I can't take credit for it. I don't know who took it, but it is beautiful.

Let's Dance

Here is another challenge completed for The Scrapping Nook's IceCROPades online crop. This one was for the Let's Get Technical challenge and required us to use at least three techniques. My techniques were inking, paper tearing, paper piercing, faux stitching, Flower Soft, Stickles, Dimensional Pearls, and distressing.


Love Fest Crop and IceCROPades Challenges

Last weekend I participated in the WeScrap Love Fest online crop. I didn't, unfortunately, complete as many challenges as I would have liked to (sucks to not feel well on a crop weekend), but I did complete some of the challenges. A couple of them I combined with challenges for the IceCROPades crop as well.


Quillin Time was created for the Progressive Layout challenge. It was actually quite fun. We were given instructions step by step then had to combine it all into a layout at the end. What do you think of the cute little porcupines I hand cut?


Little Monkey was created for the Doodles challenge at WeScrap as well as the Yankee Doodle challenge at The Scrapping Nook. All those little circles we
re actually a pain to draw LOL.


Soul Mates was for the WeScrap Quote challenge and The Scrapping Nook's Karen Karen Bo Baren scraplift challenge. I love the layout that was the inspiration for this layout. The quote seemed perfect for this photo of Gary and I on our first ever vacation together. I love this photo.


Always was for the It's All About The Hearts challenge at WeScrap, using a sketch by Allison Cope that was posted on the Scrapbook and Cards Today blog. I really did not do the sketch justice, but I still like the layout.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Want to Win a Scor Pal?

If you do, then check out the Paper Therapy blog. This is awesome!!!!! A Scor Pal is an incredible giveaway!!!! In order to be eligible to win, all you have to do is post a comment on her blog and one on your blog telling your readers about her blog candy. We have until March 5th to post comments and links. Good luck to all!!!!

Monday, February 9, 2009

Check This Out!!!!!

I'm doing a major happy dance about what I found out last night :) This has made my week!!!!

Go here.

A huge THANK YOU to all my favourite Turtle girls:  Hannah, Lori, Teresa, Kim and Bev!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Slogan Challenge

My last challenge for this week for The Scrapping Nook's IceCROPades challenge was the Cuckoo For Slogans challenge. We had to select a slogan and scrapbook. Obviously there was only one slogan I would choose, considering that I'm a Gillett :) That's right!!! I chose the "Gillette, the best a man can get!" slogan. Of course, I dropped that silly e at the end that shouldn't be there anyway.




My layout is created almost entirely with the Crate Paper Lemon Grass collection (I added ColorBox dark brown ink, Zig marker and some Glossy Accents). The photo is one of the first ever taken of Gary and I, back when we were first dating. This is my first time creating a photo mat like the one you see. I am rather pleased with the results.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Ally's Blog Candy

Ally is offering an awesome blog candy from My Stamp Box. The winner gets to choose ANY stamp set with a value of $19.99 Canadian or less. Isn't that awesome???? To get an entry you need to leave a comment on her blog here. You'll get a second entry if you link to her blog candy from your blog. You will also get a ballot for every comment you leave on her blog during the month of February.

I have been a fan and admirer of Ally's work for awhile now. She is incredibly talented and creates awesome sketches. You are sure to be inspired by Ally!!!!

Isn't It Odd Challenge

One of the challenges this week at The Scrapping Nook for the IceCROPades online crop was to do a layout in which everything is in odd numbers. In response to the challenge I came up with "Crashed".




I used three different patterned papers (all from the Cosmo Cricket Cogsmo line), three photos, seven stars, one word in my title, and seven letters (American Crafts Thickers) in my title.

This is Sam after a hard day of playing, crashed on his favourite pillow.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Blog Candy Alert

Would you like to win some blog candy? Head on over to Sharon's Blog to see the cute stamps she has up for grabs. The stamps are so adorable!!!! She'll be choosing a winner on February 14th!!!! Good luck!!!!

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Two Scrapbook Friends Online Crop

This weekend I participated in my first online crop at the Two Scrapbook Friends message board. They had some wonderful challenges posted, as well as two rather challenging games of Scrabble (which I'm proud to say that I solved). I'm also proud to say that I finished all five of the challenges well before the deadline.


There were two sketch challenges. Here are the layouts I completed for those challenges.


The word challenge required us to use the word Play. For this challenge I scraplifted a layout for an IceCROPades challenge at The Scrapping Nook.


I created this card for the colour challenge.


This layout was for the In With The NEW challenge and required us to use pairs of things. I used 2 brads, 2 different colours of ink, 2 patterned papers, 2 photos, 2 photo mats, 2 flowers, 2 different fonts, 2 styles of glitter, 2 flourishes, and 2 stamped images.