Snow Days Tag

Back to Christmas! I have had some fun playing around with my Spellbinders to make tags and here is one of them.

If I'm in time, I would like to share this over at Wee Memories where the challenge this week has been to use patterned paper. I LOVE patterned paper and this paper from Basic Grey's Nordic collection is no exception.

This was quick and simple - I may just make a few more and mount them on a basic card base for a simple holiday card.

Happy Friday!

Shanna :)

So very missed.....

Hi everyone and thanks for stopping by.

A bit of a change in pace as I'm feeling a bit melancholy tonight. Feel free to skip this part if you are just here to see my layout and would rather skip the personal stuff......

I was away for a bit as my mother-in-law passed suddenly away two weeks ago Sunday. She was 54. We find comfort in thinking that she is at peace as she had been sick with a variety of ailments for many years. Hubby flew there right away and my boys and I took a road trip, two days down and two days back. They are amazing travelers! It helps of course, that they have traveled long distances in cars since they were newborns. Books on CD, Nintendo DSIs and portable DVD players loaned from Danderella also helped immensely! It didn't take much to talk my Dad into taking the drive back with us to provide me with some relief from the constant driving. I have the BEST Dad! Love you Dad! We were able to come home sooner and then flew Dad home on Monday. We somehow managed to make the road trip part of the trip a bit fun by stopping here and there at fun touristy spots or scenic spots beaches, etc. I have some photos to share from our road trip actually. I'll save those for another day though.

So, last week was a bit rough, very busy and a bit crazy! Last night, I received the news that a close family friend has been hospitalized - not surprising as he has been in and out many times over the last two years - this time; however, it sounds bad. They have found a tumour and he is not fit for surgery. Tonight I hear he is on a ventilator and is not allowed visitors. When I told my boys, Chester said "Mom! Not again!" So, my heart is heavy and I keep expecting the phone to ring. My boys, including hubby have gone away for the weekend and left me with quiet which is an amazing gift. I was planning to scrapbook tonight, but can't seem to get started and I think perhaps its just because I'm feeling anxious.

So, I decided to post about it and try to move on. Which brings me to my project since I'm in the mood to reflect and remember.....


Regular readers may remember me posting about a good friend I lost last November. I lost my zest for blogging around that time and it took me awhile to come back to it.

When I brought home these gorgeous MME papers recently and noticed that they would work perfectly with these photos that had been looking out at me from my ribbon shelf and begging to be scrapped, I was inspired to create this layout in her honour. Though I was saddened once again by the reality that she is gone, I found that creating the layout was also therapeutic. It reminded me about the things in life that are important - it's all about the people you surround yourself with. Relationships. Interactions. I always say that my aim in life is to live with no regrets. This means that I try my best to "seize the moment" when an opportunity presents itself to spend time with the people I love, even if it means letting the laundry lie, leaving the dishes unwashed or letting the weeds grow tall in the garden. This means lots of hugs and telling my loved ones that I love them often.

Several times this week I've heard my husband tell his friends "Don't forget to tell your Mom that you love her." And he's right, I love you Mom!

We shared lots of laughs and fun times with E. She was so brave and she made things so easy on us. It was almost possible to believe she wasn't sick because she had such a positive outlook and attitude. I love her for that. She is so very missed and her memory will be forever in my heart.

Thanks for listening!

I would like to share this at "If the shoe fits" where the theme is Bejeweled Blue for Fashionista Friday #91.

I would also like to share this over at Wee Memories where the challenge is to use patterned paper.

Shanna :)


What I used:
papers: MME Lost & Found Two
Prima Ledger Paper Pad 12x12
both papers available at DAT'S

Happy Hauntings

Yep, I've been MIA for awhile, but I'll have to explain later since my bed seems to be calling my name. I have been itching to get something posted, though so here goes....

I had so much fun playing with my Tim Holtz tissue tape that I could hardly stop myself. How much fun is this stuff??? lol
And yes, those crazy veggies in the background came from my garden - they just showed up one day - will share about that later....

I had so much fun that I had to cover my mess on the inside of my card, this seemed to work. This fun image is from CTMH's Backdrop - Charmed and is in the new catalogue.

And here we have a simple inside sentiment.

I would like to share this over at Raise the Bar where the challenge is "things with wings" - this is definitely a "thing" of what sort I'm not exactly sure though! I am also sharing at Crazy for Challenges where Halloween is the theme. Last but certainly not least, Paper Sundaes' challenge is "Anything goes".

Hope you are having a good week. My seems to be improving as we inch closer to the weekend, lol!

Cheers,

Shanna :)

Trick or Treat

Happy Sunday! Thanks for stopping by.

Crazy for Challenges is looking for pumpkins in our creations this week - here's mine.

This MME paper was so fun and there's still some left at DAT'S.

A busy day today and a busy week ahead, hope you are having a great weekend!

Shanna :)

What I used:
stamps: CTMH D1442 Thriller, D1300 Circle Around, D1490 Backdrop - Charmed (inside sentiment)
papers: MME - Mischievous 6x6 paper pad - currently available at DAT'S

Congratulations

Good evening!
Tonight I would like to share a card I made when playing around with the September stamp of the month "Limited Edition" and my newest set of nesties called "Blossom Three". The Camden papers have also been hanging around the stash for awhile untouched, so thought I'd play with these as well.

Though I find the Sept SOM to be more for scrapbooking, I wanted to try to make a card using some of its elements. Here is what I came up with.


I gave the flower dimension and an "aged" or distressed sort of look. I cut out all the layers, took each and lightly sprayed with a mister, crumpled them up in my hand literally, then flattened them out and let them dry. This is a fun technique that most of you have probably tried before, but I'm mentioning how I did it in case you have never tried. It's fun and I do like the effect.


Now that the card is put together, I wish I had made the card base slightly smaller - oh well, too late now. I do like how the flower turned out and will have to play with this technique again. I did end up adding some dark blue pearls in the corners, that seemed to help a bit.

I am going to share this at Paper Sundaes where they are looking to see how we finish the inside of our cards.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Shanna :)


What I used:
stamps: S1109 Special Edition - CTMH Sept SOM, D1388 Card Chatter-Christmas (inside sentiment)
papers: 7 gypsies "Camden" - available at DAT'S
tools: Spellbinders "Blossom three", border punch, EK success fastenater

Christmas Wishes from Clara

Good morning and Happy Friday!!!

I still have space left in my card class at DAT'S on Saturday, September 17 th. The class will be at 1 pm. If you are interested please contact Donna at 344-7702, there is still time to sign up!

We will be stitching, colouring with copics, paper-piecing, fussy cutting and stamping our own embellishments.

I just adore this image by Kraftin Kimmie! She was so fun to colour and I also did some paper-piecing for her dress.

I stamped on CTMH's canvas Badge Buttons to "make" my own embellishments. I LOVE these things!

See you Saturday!

Cheers,

Shanna :)

What I used:

stamps: Kraftin Kimmie's Clara, CTMH sentiment from Tannenbaum B1361, tiny stamp inside CTMH C1422

papers: Echo Park - For the Record - still using this line!

copics: hair - E25, E27, E29

skin - E000, E00 nutcracker - B95, B97, G94, R27

tools: EK success punches - oval & scallop, Spellbinder labels 17

inks: memento, chocolate ink & marker

More photos from the East Coast

Some shots of the ocean view off Cape Breton. Still pretty foggy!

The rain did stop long enough for us to do a bit of light hiking - everything as pretty wet and it was quite cool (sweaters, pants and even a jacket sometimes), but it was not pouring at least.

There were lots of great photo ops that day - too bad we were lacking in the sunlight department or some of these might have been really nice photos....



Check out these crazy things! Mushrooms would be my guess or some kind of fungi - we saw lots of interesting things on our hike.
Meet "Aspy" the snail! Named such since we were staying at Aspy Bay. The boys found this slimy little thing on a hike in the woods and had a great time playing with him. He got brave and we got to see ALL of him! At one point, the boys asked Papa to "snail sit" since they were busy doing something else and were afraid he would escape!

He did eventually.
Check this out!! So what's your guess? Anybody know what this is??? This huge thing was sitting up against this very large boulder at the camp ground we stayed at on the Northern tip of Cape Breton Island. We had several guesses about what this was and eventually Chester went and asked the owners of the campground.........but I want to hear your guesses before I share........we were way off!

This is one of my fave photos from the trip. Good old Pickle Pants playing with the lobsters!!! The boys LOVE seafood, especially the fresh stuff!

Hope you're having a great week!
Cheers,
Shanna :)

Good Luck in Grade Two!

Hello Monday!
The challenge this week over at Cupcake Craft is "Back to School" - hooray! I am thrilled to report that both Chester and Pickle Pants are okay with being back - Pickle Pants is even saying "I LOVE school!" We'll see how long that lasts - but for the time being, I am one happy Mama!


With the first week of school (all three days) over with, things start to really get busy this week. I hit the road for three days, returning Thursday just in time for "Meet the teacher" night. Piano starts up this week. The boys both have their lessons at school - awesome! ( we just have to remember to pack the books!) Mine will be in the evening, which will make for a busy day this Thursday. The boys have decided to try Tae Kwon Do, but we are going to wait until October to get started once everything else has become part of the routine and I get a couple more work trips out of the way. Fall is prime travel time and it is often difficult to decide which way to "jump" first.

Since I paid some attention to the inside of this one, I'm also going to share it at Paper Sundaes where the current challenge is to finish the inside of your cards!

I must admit I have had a fun time participating in these fun back to school challenges. I don't usually do too many school-themed cards unless they are thank yous for teachers, but since I had this great new CTMH set, I just had to play some more!

Well, we were gifted with what I like to call a "bonus" summer weekend. Lucky us, we spent Friday night at a BBQ enjoying the outdoors and Saturday afternoon hanging with friends at the local KOA which included swimming and a hot dog roast! So awesome for the boys to be able to sneak in an extra weekend of summer stuff! That was very likely the last outdoor swim of the season, but I'm sure glad we did it! It was a very relaxing afternoon. The kiddos even had a "leech experience". The girls were most upset about this, but the boys not so much - I now have a leech living in a tin can beside Pickle Pants' bed!!!! lol I had to make him move it when he went to bed last night lest it end up sleeping with him!

Best run and work on the "to do" list!
Shanna :)

Winter Joy

Good morning and thanks for stopping by!

I am so glad to have such a fun event to look forward to on a day that marks the anniversary of such a devastating and tragic event in our history. My heart and thoughts go out to all who were affected by the events of ten years ago today. What really gets me is those children who were born after 9-11 and never got to meet their fathers. It happens that I was pregnant with Chester at the time and my heart went out especially to those other Mamas out there who had to deal with the tragedy of losing their husband/partner during such a joyous time in their lives.

However, today is the day of our Annual Stamping PJ Party! I have been super busy making samples, preparing the project and packing up lots of goodies in preparation. I look forward to seeing some of you this afternoon!

Here is one of the samples I have prepared using one of the fab new sets from CTMH - Winter Joy. I am LOVING this set! I also had fun playing with my antique button stash. :)

I am sharing this today at Christmas Card Challenges where the challenge is "Vintage" as well as at Paper Sundaes where they are asking us to finish the inside of our cards. I almost always finish the inside, but don't always bother to photograph it unless I especially love how it turned out. The inside of this one is pretty simple, but I just love the "border" style stamp which I repeated here and thought that adding much more would have ruined the effect.

Best run and finish my packing....
Have a great Sunday!

Shanna :)

What I used:
stamps - CTMH C1468 Winter Joy & D1492 Christmas Love
papers: Authentique "Wonder" collection, New England Ivy
embellishments: antique buttons, Kaiser pearls, ric rac from Vintage Pixie

The Magic of Christmas

Thank you for stopping by! And thanks to those who shared their lunchbox ideas, I plan to try a few of them over the next few weeks!


Here is another card I've made in preparation for our Stamping Pyjama party this Sunday. I try to make as many samples as possible using current product to give people ideas. I especially concentrate on Christmas since this is the perfect time to get started if you haven't already. :)


I am going to share this over at Christmas Card Challenges - another for the stash. I really must do another count soon - each card brings me closer, but my goal is pretty hefty. I send close to 100 cards. Best keep at it!

Well, I'm gonna head back to the craft room and see what I can come up with. The mojo is a little slow today - the result of a busy work week maybe? And perhaps in part due to the mundane task of filling out all those school forms! Oh well, at least the Scholastic book orders showed up today - my FAVE! I rarely say no to books, which is why our many bookshelves are bursting at the seams and there are piles of books on every flat service not in use. :) Oh well, too many books is at least a happy problem to have.

Have a great evening!
Shanna :)

What I used:
stamps - CTMH C1468 Winter Joy, D1492 Christmas Love, D1388 Card Chatter - Christmas
papers: CTMH Wonderland, CS - chocolate & crystal blue
embellishments: SU ribbon, Kaiser rhinestones

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Or is it??? And for who???

Although Pickle Pants (right) said he was excited to go to school and learn multiplication, of all things, he was a reluctant customer when I pulled out the camera on the way to the bus stop. :) I loved Chester's comment upon returning home - "Mom - the bus driver rolled through like THREE stop signs!!!" Spoken like the true son of a driver instructor!!!

Poor guys - it was a balmy 5 degrees celcius when they headed out to catch the bus and about 28 degrees when they came home - how do you dress for that kind of weather!?!? These are the days that you hope they don't lose TOO many sweaters!!! lol

And then there are the forms, forms and more forms. Lists and more lists....and LUNCHES, oh the lunches! I'm sure many of you are dealing with the same thing....this year we cannot send peanut butter, nuts or fish. Yikes, that eliminates so many healthy things! I completely understand the need to be safe for the children who have life-threatening allergies, but gee it keeps me on my toes when it comes to creativity! And of course, just when you think you've found a great thing, they get bored and they won't eat it anymore.

I am always chatting up other Moms to find out what they are sending. Here are a few of the things that have worked for us:

• pea butter sandwiches - I do write a note to the teacher at the beginning of the year to assure him/her that it is not peanut butter - thankfully, my boys love pea butter as long as I don't send it too often
• apples sliced and sprinkled with cinnamon - tastes fab and the cinnamon covers up the brown spots - also a great way to send only half an apple if a whole one is too much
• veggies & dip - if you can find tiny containers for the dip, this works well. Tupperware has some great ones, I also use mini jam jars, the kind you get with your room service at a fancy restaurant (not that I had any room service, I found these at a yard sale, lol)
• pasta salad - a total break from the boring sandwich - my boys love this - we usually keep it pretty plain, rotini (usually whole wheat), some cucumbers, maybe red peppers and cheese with Italian dressing on top
• quinoa salad - this recipe has red peppers, cucumbers and homemade sesame seed dressing - this was a big hit when I tried it this summer and the boys cannot wait to have it in their lunch at school. I feel good about this one for sure since quinoa is packed full of good stuff. If you haven't tried it, go and find some, it's very healthful and is faster to cook than brown rice, so is becoming a popular hot side dish in our house. It looks like tiny pasta - Pickle pants calls it "baby food," but loves it with a bit of soya sauce.

C'mon, I want to know what you are all sending in the lunches..... please share! In a couple of weeks, they will be bored of everything and I will be looking for new ideas and it's hard to be creative under pressure!


Enough about lunches, I did make a card. I'd been playing around with this fab imaginisce line and the new "School Rocks" set from CTMH and came up with this which will probably go to the bus driver at year's end - one less to do when the end of the year rolls around - what can I say - I was in the mood to play with school stuff! lol

And here is the inside. I think I had as much fun with the inside of these school cards - check out that fab graph paper!!!

I would like to share my card at "If the shoe fits" where the challenge is none other than "Back to School". I shall share at the Ribbon Carousel Challenge blog as well since the challenge is "Anything goes".

Oh well, off to school they went today for their official first day back. I think it's time to get back to routine and have a definite focus and the stacks of forms should slow down after the first week....

Enjoy what's left of the week - we are half way to the weekend! I'm looking forward to your lunch ideas!

Shanna :)

Funky Joy

Good morning! I was distracted yesterday by the beautiful (but quite chilly) fall weather we were having and didn't get around to posting anything. We spent the afternoon at one of our fave parks (Centennial) with some friends. The children playing so well together I even had time to sit and write a letter!

Hubby and I also managed a "date night" so we could try out a new babysitter. We went out to dinner - unfortunately, the restaurant we were hoping to go to was closed for the holiday. We had a lovely meal, but not the dessert we had been craving (Creme Framboise - yummmmmy!) - oh well, a good excuse to go out again! lol



Anyhow, better make it quick as I should be getting ready for work, busy day ahead. I did get some time in my craft space this weekend it it was pure bliss - creating with all this yummy new stash!

I am sharing this over at The Ribbon Carousel where this week's challenge is "Anything Goes". I will also share over at Christmas Card Challenge as it's another card for the stash!
Be back soon!

Shanna :)

What I used:
stamps: CTMH Winter Wonder C1468, CTMH Christmas Love D1492
papers: MME 12 Days of Christmas 6x6 pad
ribbon: SU

Follow your dreams....

Hello! Thanks for stopping by!

I have been busy preparing for the Charity Pyjama party next weekend! (for more info, scroll down to my last post). The best part is playing with new stuff and making samples! I have lots more Christmas cards to show you, but I thought I should change it up a bit and share this fun "Back to School" card I made using lots of fun new stash!
I actually played with four different sets to make this card. The "follow your dreams" quote is from the "Pair-a-phrase" double set that is part of the promo for National Cardmaking Month. When you place an order of $ 82.00 or more before taxes and shipping, you earn this double set (two D sized stamp sets) for FREE!

The "shadow stamp" of the children walking to school as well as the A+ and the school bus are from "School Rocks". The "Wishing you Well" sentiment is from an old reliable set called "Say it in style".

Here is the inside. The ABCD.... stamp is from "Vintage Type" D1481.

I am sharing my card over at Crazy 4 Challenges where the theme this round is "Back to School." The theme this week at If the Shoe fits is also Back to School, so I'll share over there as well. :)

And finally, it's that time of year.....my sunflowers are finally blooming. They always seem to take forever, but it is always worth the wait, don't you agree?



I love the colouring of this one, I believe the variety is "Velvet Queen".
Ciao for now,
I'll be back tomorrow with more craftiness,
Shanna :)

p.s. If anyone is interested in some more photos from our trip to the East Coast, my son has started posting them on his blog "The Bookworm's Apprentice" here. He would love it (and so would I) if you have a moment to stop by and leave some love. I am hoping he will be encouraged and keep posting. :) Thanks a bunch!

What I used:
stamps sets all from CTMH
D1481 Vintage Type
B1396 School Rocks
D1283 Say It In Style
Pair-a-phrase Promo set CC1014
papers: imaginisce - currently available at DAT'S

The Annual Charity Pyjama Stamping Party!!!

This is the card we will be making at our annual Pyjama Party - it was such fun to play with some new stash!!!

I am going to share this over at Christmas Card Challenges as well. The challenge is to use a photo this week, which I didn't manage here, but it is one more for the stash!

For you local gals, give Donna a ring and join us for the party - you won't be sorry!

Shanna :)

Here is what I used:
stamps: CTMH D1492 Christmas Love (new)
papers: CTMH tulip, New England Ivy, Cocoa
Authentique "wonder" line - I am in love with this!!!
tools: oval punches, Spellbinders labels 15, embossing folder
inks: tulip, New England Ivy
other: Xmas Red stickles, brown zig pen, 3D dots, twine

Here are the deets for the event:

Charity Pyjama Stamping Party

& Yard Sale with a Twist

All proceeds are going to the Northern Cancer Fund – Chemotherapy

in Memory of Ellena Esteves

Sunday, September 11, 2011

1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Oliver Road Community Centre – Downstairs

Cost: FREE

You Must RSVP to attend so that we know how many people to prepare for.

We normally have 40 – 60 people at this fun filled event.

Please RSVP by Wed. September 7th

You will make one Christmas Card with Stampin’ Up and one Christmas Card with Close to My Heart. We will have lots of samples up to get your wheels a turning for your own projects, juice and some snacks.

If you want to put an order in with either company that day, you are more than welcome to. If you place a $100.00 order with Stampin’ Up (before shipping & taxes), you will receive FREE SHIPPING. If you place a $100.00 order with Close to My Heart (before shipping & taxes), you will receive FREE SHIPPING.

For every $50.00 you spend that day with either company, you will receive a ballot for a prize package that we will be raffling off that day.

All the Hostess Rewards from each company are used to purchase products for the next year’s Yard Sale with a Twist. All the money raised from our Yard Sale with a Twist will be going to the Northern Cancer Fund – Chemotherapy in Memory of Ellena Esteves.

After everyone has made their card, we will begin the Yard Sale with a Twist. We take all the products that we collected over the year and package them together and sell them off. To find out about the “Twist” part, please give us a call at 344-7702.

For the Yard Sale portion of the day, we ask that you bring cash. We will accept a cheque, but that just causes more work for me, so I would prefer cash.

For Close to My Heart, you can only pay with cash or cheque. For Stampin’ Up orders, you can pay with cash, cheque, Visa or MasterCard.

Please RSVP to Donna at 344-7702

by Wednesday, September 7th

Altered mint tin

Goodness, it's about time I posted something!!! Life has been busy - getting ready for back to school, organizing after-school activities, another weekend at the lake (packing & unpacking = yuck)....


Anyhooo, here is the little tin I decorated to go with Danderella's daughter's bday gift. Since they were heading across the border for a girl's weekend and shopping trip, we gave her some spending $ in lieu of a gift.

You may recognize the card from my stash, but once my boys chose which card they wanted to give, I had to make the tin to match! And I do love this paper line! I love how it turned out. I'll have to keep my eyes open for these - the mints inside were super yummy - chai flavoured - and really I didn't mind eating them so that we would have an empty tin to decorate! lol I do wish I'd taken a before and after shot, oh well!

I am going to share this over at Cupcake Craft Challenges where the challenge this week is "Alter it" - I think maybe my project fits. :)

Best run, I've lots to prepare for our Charity Stamping Pyjama Party next weekend......which means you should be seeing more posts from me if the mojo shows up soon!!!

Shan :)