Creative Time!

Since making the decision to stop selling the Just Cre8 kits, I have had much more spare time.  While I miss mixing and matching papers, designing stamps and sifting through all the goodies out there to create an inspiring kit for my customers, I am enjoying this new-found freedom in a multitude of ways.

One of them has been to get back into the CREATING side of scrapbooking!  Because I was still so closely tied to the industry, I didn't realize how much I actually missed it!  Not only the actual creating, but the comraderie and "girls' night out"s that accompany our set schedule of cropping. 

I vowed in January that I would stop, drop and crop every other Friday and emailed all of our cropping friends.  While many of my friends, new and old, have not had much time over the summer, my sister and I (and my niece, until she deserted us for England! :D) have been meeting regularly every two weeks.  I also seduced my neighbour to start, after dropping off a copy of my Canadian Scrapbooker magazine for her to browse through a few months ago!  We have a lot of fun and have committed to try to get together every Friday this fall and winter, if possible, to crop - I'm so excited!  I find I get a lot more done when I'm at my sister's, but I like being home because I have all of my goodies - and if I don't, the Just Cre8 store is at the other end of the room! :D

So I have alot of layouts to share!  Not all will be posted here... 1) some still need finishing touches like journaling or stitching;  2) others have been submitted for publication and  3) I don't want to scare anyone away! :D

This one cracks me only, if only for the ridiculous comb-over that Aili has goin' on in this photo! What was her mother thinking...?

Most of my favourite photos of Connor have been ones taken on the first day of school, and this one is no exception.  Seeing him with his beautiful long hair, I really miss it - then I remember the battle we used to have each day with getting him to brush it...

Oh, I miss this chubby-cheeks-and-hands stage!!  Just LOOK at how adorable she is...

Who, me?  Biased?  No, definitely not... :)

This little guy was so easy to fall in love with!  Right down to the little purr/growl he'd make when you'd scratch behind his ears!!  I seriously wanted to take him home with me, but at the time, I had a chubby mischevious little 3 year old boy at home who may have looked suspiciously like a plump turkey!

I think I've mentioned about how the number 13 plays a pretty big part in our family's life.  This is a pretty simple layout (except for the handstitching) that reminds our children about that.

An old photo of my niece at 4 yrs old (she'll be 16 soon!) that I took of her when she spent the night for a sleepover at our house just after our wedding.  I had plans to give this to my sister for her birthday but didn't get it framed in time - maybe Christmas?  I hope she doesn't read this!

Anyone still here?  Did I scare you all away?

*crickets*

Maybe I'll share more layouts later in the week...  Right now, I feel like spreading some love around (I'll tell you why later this week!)!

I know I've been VERY neglectful of my blog over the last few years and I'm making a conscious effort to post more often, with interesting content to boot! :)  So to thank everyone who's stuck around this long, and to welcome my new readers who have joined this fun ride, I'm going to offer up a little something-something!!  Not only am I offering a RAK (random act of kindness), but the lucky winner will get their choice of prize - either 1) an in-stock standard Just Cre8 stamp set of their choice, 2) a $15.00 Tim Hortons gift card (I know my US cousin is probably coveting this one... :D) or 3) a $15.00 Shoppers Drug Mart gift card!

It's easy to enter - just leave me a comment and answer this question:

"What is your favourite all-time cartoon strip?"

Mine's easy - Calvin and Hobbes wins hands-down!! 

Please leave your comment by 10pm EST on Sunday, October 25th and remember to leave me your name, if you are posting anonymously!

Thanks for reading!