Elbow falls....

Took a drive a couple of weeks ago- we hadn't been to Elbow falls in a few years.
It was overcast but pleasant enough,.. but it was really over crowded, which made picture taking a bit tricky.
The highlight for me might have been the stop for ice cream on the way home... I love espresso fudge by foothills creamery! xo

see... they do love each other- sometimes...

I love fall...

I'm finally embracing fall.. it took me a while this year, but I am now officially ready for it.

I am craving soups and chili and yummy warm comfort foods.

Anyone else getting into fall?

Oh, and don't forget the gorgeous fall colors... which are slowly fading away. I think October might even be my favorite month of the year.

And these 3 are most certainly my favorite little people to photograph in the fall...


Last year...


And the year before....


...and now I'm gonna be sad because the kids are growing up way too fast!

One more thing...

Another little project I created with the kit is featured on the ScrapShotz Blog today....

Here's the photo... visit the blog for instructions.

Been a while...

Fall is here... the crazy summer of 2010 is history, and now is the time to get back into routines, etc.

I'm hoping that updating the blog more often can be something I can make a part of my routine too.

I've been indulging in the hobby I love... playing with paper, photos and glue this past week.
I had the honor of being asked to play along with the creative team at Scrapshotz for the months of October, November and December. And I had so.much.fun playing with the October kit which features a manufacturer that I love (Fancy Pants) and a new favorite product (Glimmer Glaze)!!!

Here are a couple of looks at my favorite projects done for the reveal, you can head to the gallery at scrapshotz to see the rest.

I loved her...

... and not a day goes by that I don't think of her with love.

She was the 'Best Grama in the World' to me and I miss her everyday. (her mom, who is also pictured- love how grama is looking at her mom, was the best great grama in the world btw... I know- I was double blessed!)


(me, grama, great grama)

'Each time we embrace a memory, we meet again with those we love... for the heart never forgets.' ~Flavia


It's been 10 years, but my heart hasn't forgotten and I try really hard to keep her memory alive so the kids can know what a beautiful person she was.


(Avery and Grama)

And I think they do.....

I love living where I do...

Sure, I'd like the weather to be a little warmer sometimes... and I'd like it if our May long weekend camping trip did not have to be cancelled because of snow, but living so close to the mountains has some wonderful perks- like being able to drive an hour or so away from home and be here:



The last time we stopped at Chateau Lake Louise was when I was expecting this one:



It was a little earlier in the year though, around February 1998- the lake was completely frozen then and a path was cleared and you could walk across it, not this time though.

On this visit, the kids loved throwing rocks out onto the lake to see if they could break the thin ice on the edge... the sun stayed out long enough for us to walk a good portion of the way around. And I'm not naming names (Cole and Connor) but some of us might have ended up with wet feet before our walk was done. Next time, I'd like to see the lake without ice/snow and maybe even plan ahead and spend the night.

Check it- my very own version of a favorite...

I have been a fan of artist Kelly Rae Roberts for a while now!

I first discovered her art on Etsy, and then bookmarked and visited her blog often. Besides seeming like a warm and friendly person, I found her art so very inspiring.

I bought her book last week while shopping for crafting supplies and immediately purchased all the extras so I could attempt to make a 'Kelly Rae' collage of my own.

This was my first attempt. It's on a small 8x8 canvas, I was too intimidated to try a face on the first one... but have a feeling that it will be the first of many. I had so much fun making it and even though I am still planning on purchasing an actual piece of Kelly Rae's art, I am so thankful that she's such an awesome teacher and willing to share her skills and talent with us all! :)

Card crazy

I made a few cards this past week- I am having so much fun with cards these days! Check out some of the variety I made for last weekend's Scrapshotz online crop...






I spent today doing something totally out of my regular comfort zone... and I LOVED it!
...be back to share soon...

Happy NSD!!

I love that this hobby has it's own special day... I will be spending it with a great group of girls at an all day crop! I'm so excited!!!

I hope to be back with lots of things to share- hope you all get a chance to be creative today!

And here's a favorite card share I made for a friend's wedding last fall...

Another one to share...

This is one from a round of LO tag which was inspired by a Pagemaps sketch.

I LOVE these layout tags, they get me to scrap much faster than I usually like to and so far I have loved every layout I have done for one.



I am still working towards my goal of 15 layouts, 10 cards and 1 gift album using older items from my stash, to make room for all the new goodies i am dreaming about... so far the count sits at 6/15 layouts 6/10 cards and 0/1 gift album... wish me luck- my goal is the end of April!

What a delinquent blogger I am...

...although with no comments on the blog, who knows, I could be talking to myself lol :)

I finished 2 layouts this weekend, one I can't share yet because it's for a round of LO tag at Scrapshotz

But I can share this one:



These photos are from Dec 2003, Connor was almost 1, back when the baby of the family was actually a baby. I have had them in my 'to be scrapbooked' pile FOREVER, and I am so happy they now have a home in one of my albums...well, that is after it makes it from the 'to be put away in albums' pile into an actual album. ;)

Off to bed, but before I do...

I've got a busy day tomorrow so I wanted to share this tonight incase I don't get the chance.

Another challenge complete at Scrapshotz, and a bigger dent put into my stash... I have challenged myself to Trash My Stash, meaning I need to complete 10 cards, 15 layouts and 1 gift album by the end of April and then I can reward myself with some new goodies... I'm pretty optimistic I will meet my goal :)



Good night...

Been busy...

I know I should be packing, but I just couldn't help myself the last day or two, I've been feeling creative and having fun messing up my scrap space.

Here's one using some photos that have been sitting in my 'to be scrapbooked pile'.

Years ago when we took our cruise, one of the first ports we stopped at was Cozumel. Avery had 2 little braids put in her hair by a lady who did it on the side of the road... When she was done, the lady showed her the finished product in a side view mirror that had obviously broken off of a car. She wanted more braids put in, but we were short on time. Later in the trip we got off the boat in the Bahamas and were approached by a woman on the beach wanting to braid her hair. This time, we had more time but had only brought a very small amount of cash off the boat with us, and we wanted to make sure we had enough to get back to the boat, etc. Avery was a little disappointed but understood.

Fast forward a few years... Huatulco, Mexico where they can braid your hair poolside at the resort, and you can bill it to your room. No excuses this time... she got her whole head done and was one VERY happy girl.



I hope she remains this easy to please... :)

Middle of March already?!?

I honestly do not know where the days go?? Does anyone else have days turn into weeks without realizing it?

Anyways, just wanting to share my new favorite layout done for one of my favorite scrapping games, a round of LO tag on Scrapshotz

These are some of my favorite NYC shots from the trip my mom and I took in October 2008 (again, has it really been that long???)



I am longing to go back to New York.... but until then, at least I have lots and lots of favorite photos to scrapbook.

Little me...

I was going through some layouts this week, and came across this one I did not so long ago of little me.
Today, I'm feeling like I'd like to escape and be little again... ever have one of those days?

Going back to work...

So... now that all the kids are in school full time, I am feeling like I would like to go out and find some sort of a part time job. Something that gives me something to do during the day, well, besides all my usual domestic shenanigans. The problem is, my DH won't let me... !!! Now before you get mad at him for being all oppressive and domineering, etc- the reason is, that he feels that if I am going to work, I should do something that I reaaaaaly love (sweet, hey?) So that leaves me with photography and paper-crafting.

Both of these give me a great deal of satisfaction, and I enjoy partaking in both of these activities on a regular basis, but I also wouldn't mind earning a few dollars at the same time to make it feel more like a 'job' and less like the wonderful hobbies that these are to me. Which brings me to photography. I am mostly self-taught (i have taken one course at SAIT and one on-line) who prefers natural, candid photos taken in your home environment or out in nature, here are a couple samples of my work...




I am currently building my portfolio. If you, or anyone you know, in the Calgary area is looking for someone who would be interested in being my model please let me know. It would take an hour or so of their time, and I will reward them with some photos that I hope they will cherish.

My new favorite layout...

Was done for a glimmer misting challenge at Scrapshotz

I love the colors in this and have been dying to do a layout of this photo taken of Connor on our last day in Maui ever since I took it.

Did a little redecorating...

Before:

Took advantage of the urge to decorate last week and helped A re-organize her room. We moved her bed and dresser, hung up curtains and pictures and hooks for all her handbags (wonder where that obsession comes from??...)

She and I are MUCH happier now that it's done.

Better, don't you think?

After:

Did something creative...

...and it literally took 10 minutes!!

Love it when I can do that!

I had been meaning to make one of these for months and months but either kept forgetting, or let something else come in the way.

This week, Ali Edwards revisited the project on her blog and I decided

'that is it, I am making one for Avery's room in her room's new colors!'

So quick, so easy, so cheap (used paper scraps and a dollarama frame) and the best part if it all: Avery loves it!

Was going to be Sweeeeedish today...

I had big plans to hit Ikea today to pick up one of these for the boys room:

It's the Hemnes 6-drawer chest in the blue stain and it's on sale for $164.99 (reg. 329.99) !!!

I love it not only because of the blue stain finish but because I know that it is well made and will stand up to my not-so-gentle boys. The reason that I know this is because Kevin(DH) has had this exact one in natural wood for 4 years and it's still in great shape.

So my dilemma is, do I take the little boy that stayed home from school today because of a snotty nose and a bit of a cough, or do I wait and go tomorrow (or friday if we don't ski) but have to take 3 kids with me because they are off school?

And will they even have it in stock? ....

Or I could just stay home and do something crafty...

Does this look too busy?

Testing some free goodies to make my blog prettier to look at, but I'm trying to decide if this is a bit too pretty...

What do you think?

E-mail me or leave a comment

Thanks :)

Look what I did today..

Let's see if I can actually keep this blog going!

Here is a layout that I did for Scrapshotz Fabulous Friday Blueprint Challenge on their blog http://scrapshotz.blogspot.com/

It was perfect for the photos, and was so quick to put together!





Hopefully I'll be back in a bit to post a few card photos, since that's what I am working on later today.

New blog... 1st post

Welcome to my new blog!