Spectrum Noir vs. Copics?

A few people have asked me about using Spectrum Noir to complement their Copic collection...  I don't have any Copics, nor have I received my Spectrum Noir sets yet, but I can share this:

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I don't know if that will help, but you can click on the [source] link and it will take you to a larger image in .pdf form.

Hope that helps!
Cheers,

Flirty Fridays: Aug 31

As we say goodbye to summer, it's only fair that we say goodbye to the boys of summer, right?

Or at least THIS boy of the Summer Olympics:

Nathan Adrian, new Boy Wonder now that Michael Phelps is retiring and Ryan Lochte's star has tarnished a bit.

Granted, he didn't ride on Lochte's coattails the whole way - did you see his 100m freestyle?  He won gold by 1/100th of a second.  ONE ONE HUNDREDTH.  Seriously, his mother probably had heart failure.  She probably turned into the crazy woman that I become when Connor is swimming his races...

Anyhow, not only a sweet grin, but he's also 6'7" (oh, I like 'em tall!) and studying to be a doctor.

Of COURSE he is...

Cheers,

So excited!

Have you seen Christy Riopel's post on the Canadian Scrapbooker blog, about the Spectrum Noir markers?

Ironically, without knowing of Christy's upcoming post, I had gone to the CS website, to check out my post for Tuesdays with the Team (yes, I still go to the main site and then click on the link to Jackie's blog because I can never remember the blog address!)  At any rate, while scrolling down through the ads, I noticed one for Canuck Crafts that featured the above markers.

Now, let me preface this by saying that I have been eyeing up the Copic markers for a few years now, but could never bring myself to pay $7 for one marker, despite its' rave reviews and refill-abilitity.  (Why yes, that IS the technical term.  Thanks for asking.)

But then I took Stephanie Ackerman's online self-paced class, A Whole New Doodle 2012.  And coveted the PrismaColor markers that she uses.  I searched high and low online to find the best deal and was still put off by the $130 price tag (set of 48) at Currys, even with free shipping.  Then I received an email from Michaels, advertising that they now carry PrismaColor markers!!  And there was a 40% off coupon to boot!

*choirs of angels sing*

Off I go, to Michaels, only to find that they are ridiculously overpriced at $299.99 (for the same set of 48)!  Even with the 40% off coupon, they would work out to over $200, taxes included - eek!!  Not as pricey as the Copics, but still over $4 a marker.

So I resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have to continue to hope and pray that the prices would drop a bit (or that I would win the lottery).  Gut instinct tells me that neither of these events are going to happen any time soon...

So when I saw the Canuck Crafts ad, I clicked and discovered that not only are the Spectrum Noir markers alcohol based, but they are also refillable and the nibs are replaceable too!  Best of all, they are a fraction of the price!!  I could order 72 markers for less than the set of 48 PrismaColor markers at Michaels!

So happy to find a Canadian company to support, I found them on Facebook and sent them a quick message.  And you know what...?

Sharon messaged me back and asked me to be a part of their design team!!

So excited!! Not only do they carry the markers, but they have some great stamps and cardstock designed to work with alcohol markers!  And their prices are so reasonable!

Here are some of my favourites:

Popcorn Bear - Smile

Stamp It Australia - Eiffel Tower

(wouldn't that look amazing on a canvas!?)

A Little Bit Scenic - French 50's cafe

Stamp It Australia - Destination

I could go on and on...!!  Have a peek for yourself here...

I can't wait to play!  She just emailed me yesterday and a package of goodies is on its' way!  Yay!

Cheers,

September Sketch Sneak

While at Holly's a few weekends ago, I worked on my September sketch and layout for the It's A Sketchy Challenge that will be posted this Saturday.

How is it possible that the summer is almost over and that Saturday is the first day of September!?!?

Anyhow, here's a little sneak of my layout - still need to add the title and journaling, but as you can see, it's about my handsome boy that I miss so much...

If you haven't uploaded your layout using the August sketch, there's still a few days left - go now!

Cheers!

Meaningful Mondays: Aug 27

Okay so this may not be thought-provoking, but it sure makes me giggle...

"Behold.  I am smiling."

Hee hee...  Happy Monday!

Cheers,

Seven Sunday Blessings: Aug 26

This week, I am thankful:

1. For Connor.  Growing into such a strong, handsome, kind, young man.  We had fun on our ride home Sunday night, having picked him up from his grandfather's place after my girls' scrappy weekend at Holly's.  I love that he still confides in me and asks my opinion... I hope it doesn't change too soon!

2.  That we were finally able to purchase the drum set that Gary's wanted for a while now.  Seeing his face light up as he began putting it together, and watching him carve time out to play (albeit not as vigorously as he'd like) warms my heart...

3.  For Mint M&Ms found in the $1 aisle at Target.  A little bit of heaven right there.

4.  For the support and kind words I've been receiving about my newest article, Leave Your Legacy.  I hope it encourages more people to document their lives.

5.  Instagr.am.  Sure, it doesn't help with the $$$$ camera I just bought last year, but I love that I don't have to cart around my big camera to capture mini-events and things to share quickly on FB and Twitter.  Will I regret not having professional quality photos in 10 years?  Probably... :s

6.  How one quick email brought about an awesome opportunity for me!  Looking forward to sharing more news about it soon!!!

7.  For good-natured, lenient customs offers who overlooked the fact that we overshot our minimum $200/person allotment... by a significant amount!  Thanks for not pulling us in to pay duty/HST!!

What are YOU thankful for this week?

Flirty Fridays: Aug 24

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This photo just never gets old, does it?  The eyes have it, for me - although he does look pretty good in a suit, too...  but I like the short hair!

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Happy Friday!

Sealed With A Kiss - Fall 2012

Again, I was asked to create 3 cards for the SWAK section in the Fall 2012 issue of Canadian Scrapbooker magazine.

(Have I mentioned how much I LOVE creating for this section?!)

You may remember my Tuesdays With Our Team post where I created a card from the Pretty in Pink and Happy Travels lines from Glitz Designs?  It was created while I worked on these cards - I had forgotten that the theme was Thankful!  Turned out to be a "happy accident", as it is one of my favourite cards.

Along with these three!  Loved, loved, LOVED working with the Glitz papers - so pretty and easy to coordinate!

So Thankful

Supplies:  Core’dinations Tim Holtz/Ranger Distress Collection cardstock; Glitz Designs patterned paper; Fiskars, Martha Stewart Crafts and EK Success punches; Making Memories sanding block; Crafts Too embossing folder; Tsukineko ink; Dymo labeller; Glue Dots; Fiskars foam adhesive; misc buttons and ribbon

I cut a strip of cardstock to fit through my Dymo labeler and punched my title.  I then lightly sanded the tops of the letters to reveal the message - sort of like a secret code! :)

This card opens vertically - I'm loving this size/orientation!

Thankful

Supplies: Bazzill Basics cardstock; Glitz Designs patterned paper and stickers; My Favourite Things Die-namics die; Martha Stewart Crafts punch; Dymo labeller; Crafts Too embossing folder; Maya Road trinket pins; Glue Dots; misc ribbon

Thanks So Much

Supplies: Bazzill Basics and Core’dinations Tim Holtz/Ranger Distress Collection cardstock; Glitz Designs patterned paper; Spellbinders Nestabilities die; Tsukineko ink; Stampin’ Up stamp; Glue Dots; misc ribbon

Simple, yet effective - and I think this one only took me about 15 minutes to put together!

Check out the Fall 2012 issue for step-by-step instructions on how to create each of these cards.

Cheers,

Leave Your Legacy: Amazing You (Fall 2012)

Today, the Fall 2012 issue of Canadian Scrapbooker magazine arrived!  It is usually on newsstands by September 1st but subscribers (and the team) are lucky enough to get their copies a few days earlier!  So getting it 9 days early is extra special!

I'm very excited because my new column, Leave Your Legacy (LYL), debuts in this issue!  Since the inception of the magazine, I have been writing articles for the photography column, with the exception of a few feature articles.  While I'll always love sharing my passion for photography, this new column combines scrapbooking with my love of writing and sharing our stories with future generations.

To paraphrase the article, the idea of Leave Your Legacy is to use our scrapbook pages or art journals as a way to leave a little piece of history for our descendants in each layout.  In each issue, I will provide prompts to encourage you to complete more pages about you, so that you can “leave your legacy” for your family and future generations.

With each issue, I will challenge our readers to participate.  I will add a post to my blog where I'll share my layout and detail photos, and will invite our readers to link up their layouts completed for this challenge here to share with everyone.  I'm even going to throw in a prize for each challenge! :)  See my LYL page for more info...

For the inaugural issue, the topic is Amazing You.  Here's my layout, capturing my determination to learn a new word each day for a year:

Supplies used:   Bazzill Basics cardstock;  Authentique and My Mind’s Eye patterned paper;  Marvy Uchida, EK Success and Martha Stewart Crafts punches;  October Afternoon stickers (flag); Basic Grey alphas stickers;  Cocoa Daisy stamp; Tsukineko and Versamark inks;  DecoArt paint;  American Crafts pen; The Twinery twine;  My Mind’s Eye and miscellaneous buttons; Prima flower; Maya Road wooden bird; Glue Dots; dictionary page;  paper doily; miscellaneous brad.  Most supplies used are from the Dec 2011 Cocoa Daisy kit.

The beauty of LYL challenges is that the focus is on the story, not the photos.  Because my topic didn't warrant any photos, I simply used a stock photography image in duplicate to emphasize its unimportance.  These were easily printed out, using my Sony S-frame printer - it easily prints out 2 3x4 photos for quick and easy scrapbooking!

I also used a page torn from a dictionary with one of the 365 words circled and highlighted with a flag containing the date the word was learned.

Please share your LYL layout or project with us here for a chance to win (I've added mine just as an example) - we'd love to see what you create!  Challenge runs from now until Nov. 30th, 2012.

Cheers!

Meaningful Mondays: Aug 20

(but posted on Aug 22...)

My blog posts are all messed up this week!!   Hopefully we'll get back to a regular routine here soon...

I wanted to share this beautiful art work by Sara of White Papers Press:

Now, I've been known to rock the X-acto blade back in the day (before the big die cut machines came to be), but this... this is truly awe-inspiring.  She DRAWS and then HANDCUTS her artwork!  You can see more of her portfolio on her website.

Happy Meaningful Monday... on Wednesday! :)

Cheers,

Only 11 More Sleeps

Until the new Fall 2012 Canadian Scrapbooker magazine is on newsstands!

I'm really excited for this issue - it's the reveal of my new column!  Check back on September 1st for more info!

Cheers,

Seven Sunday Blessings: Aug 19

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I didn't get a chance to blog this weekend, since I was at my sweet friend, Holly's place for the weekend for some girly scrapping time.  Jennifer also spent the weekend with us, and Leanne was able to join us for Friday evening (and brought some delicious Thai food with her!)  We had a wonderful time scrapping, laughing and catching up with each other.  Late nights and early mornings took their toll and I didn't get a chance to be thankful yesterday!  So here we are on Monday, with Sunday blessings...

This past week, I was thankful:

1.  For D, one of my co-workers at my newest store.  She called me on Monday night to confirm that I would be into work on Tuesday (my hours have been sporadic at best over the last few weeks) because she made me an authentic Chinese dinner to take home!! We haven't ordered Chinese in a few months, after deducing that Aili is probably allergic to MSG - she was so excited to be able to eat it!  And it was DELICIOUS!!  So grateful for the new friends at this store - they are so kind and thoughtful...

2.  For my family.  We celebrated Aili's birthday quietly with just the immediate family at a brunch at our place and it was so nice to just hang out in the backyard and teach my niece's boyfriend how to play bocce! :)

3.  For the talented designers who make up the Inspiration Elevator team.  Not only do they create incredible challenges that get me to think outside of the box, but then they WOW me each month with their designs!

4.  For fresh figs, found at Costco this week.  They remind me of my Dad's fig trees!

5.  That Gary is starting to regain his strength (albeit slowly).  There have been some issues that we are working through with his doctor, but he will start with the Cardiac Care Wellness program soon, which will help us both manage his recovery.

6.  For TLC and Honey Boo Boo.  For affirming that I am not the worst mom because I make my kids empty the dishwasher before they go out to play, despite what they think... After all, that show just proves it could be much worse... :)

7.  That I managed to get three layouts done this weekend, plus a sketch for the September It's a Sketchy Challenge that I will reveal on September 1st!

What are YOU thankful for this week?

Flirty Fridays: Aug 17

Let's kick it old school this week, with my old flame, Matthew McConnaughey:

Ahhhh, does the body good, doesn't it?  I have to say, though, I'm not a big fan of the beachy long hair.

Give me a short-haired Matthew, any day...

And if you can get him in a suit, even better!  Look at those dimples!

Have a wonderful weekend - I'm off to scrap with two of my scrapping besties!! Hopefully, I'll find my mojo (which has seriously FLED the building) back and be productive!

Cheers,

Inspiration Elevator - Challenge 4

You may recall from last month's challenge that the purpose of this challenge group was to take our scrapbooking to the next level, to stretch our creative process and to grow as artists by embracing challenges that make us think, work and grow.

This month, our challenger was the very talented Lisa Moen.  Lisa, like most of us, doesn't always take the "perfect" photos.  In fact, sometimes, the imperfect ones are all you have to tell your story. This month, Lisa challenged us to use those imperfect photos to tell an story. Here's what she had to say about her challenge:

"I was digging through some old 1980's photos the other day and realized how bad some of the pictures were.  Cameras have come a LONG way since then!

I have lots of pictures I haven't scrapped because they were/are poor quality pictures and I am sure you have pictures like that too. So let's dig out those blurry, bad pictures and tell the story behind them! My challenge to you this month is to use a bad photo and journal about it."

I thought this would be a challenge for me, because while I take as many blurry photos as the next girl, I usually delete them right away!  But in flipping through some printed photos, I found a photo that I had saved.  And just looking at it, and knowing the story behind it, makes it special!  It's really blurry due to camera shake, because it was a scene that my dear friend, Amanda, and I happened upon, on our walk back to the car after a long day at Niagara Falls.

{Please excuse the wonky photo - I finished this late last night and wanted to photograph it then for an early morning post!  I will re-shoot it and re-post later today!}

Supplies used:  Bazzill cardstock; My Mind's Eye and Echo Park patterned papers; Martha Stewart Crafts punch; My Favourite Things Dienamics die; October Afternoon diecuts and brad; Doodlebug Designs and Lily Bee Designs alphas; La De Da glitter; 7Gypsies mini paper clip; FineTec watercolour paints; American Crafts metal tag;  Glue Dots; Sharpie pen; thread; miscellaneous library card, button and twine.

I stapled the OA tab to a library card from my stash and added a border to help it stand out, using my red Sharpie.  To keep the journaling card from sliding down, I attached it to the photo using the mini paper clip.

Journaling reads:
Niagara Falls ~ Jul 2012
When the Lepage family came to visit, Amanda and I knew that Connor and Renee would hit it off - similar interests and personalities, same age... After catching them in the back seat with their heads together, on the ride up to Toronto, we joked about how great it would be it they ended up married - we'd be related!  So after seeing them walking ahead of us, close together, I knew I had to grab the moment before it was gone. Hence the blurry photo, but the memory - and the wishful thinking - is crystal clear... 

Here are some more detailed shots:

Thanks, Lisa, for the challenge - this is a photo I would have otherwise passed over, but a memory that I definitely want to remember!  After all, who knows... ? :D

I hope you will stop by and see what the other designers on this adventure have created:

Lisa Moen
Laurel Seabrook
Cathy Harper
Sue Sykes
Lisa Spiegel
Joanne Burton
Ann Jobes
Laura Whitaker
Audrey Yeager

If you decide to play along, leave a link to share your design - we'd love to see what you create!

Tuesdays With Our Team

Have you checked out the Canadian Scrapbooker's blog lately? Every Tuesday, one of the design team members features a project, new product, etc. And today, it's my turn! :)

Rather than share a layout, I decided to share a project that I completed last week, from an idea adapted via Pinterest:

*squeal* Doncha just love it!?  I love how everything is so organized and right at my fingertips!

It's a repurposed magnetic board from Ikea, with self-adhesive magnetic sheets attached, trimmed in 7Gypsies gaffer tape (script - that has been in my stash since November 2005... I kid you not!) and some recently purchased K&Co Smash tape (polka dotted).  You can see more close-ups on my featured CS blog post here.

And did I mention it only cost me around $10?  I had everything in my stash, except the 5" x 8" magnetic sheets which I found for $1.00 each at my local dollar store!

Do you see that empty labelled spot on that board?? Thanks to an online friend, Michelle, for asking her LSS, Sweet Sentiments, to order some dies that I was looking for - today was a happy mail day!

This one is being released in a few weeks, but I did receive these lovelies, two of which have since been added to my storage board:

Spellbinders Nestabilities (Classic Ovals Large - for matting with my Scalloped Ovals Large)

CheeryLynn Designs Doily Die (French Pastry)

Tim Holtz Alterations embossing folders (Bubble and Honeycomb set)

In the top photo, I brought the storage board outside to photograph because a) the lighting was better and b) my hubby hadn't had a chance to hang it on the wall yet in my studio.  But he finally did tonight!

For those of you who have been following my blog for a while, you know that this studio renovation has been a long, drawn-out (almost painful) process that took much longer than we both had anticipated.  I started working full time last year, as did Gary again (after being laid off), and with classes and projects piling up, I could never get around to getting it all put away!  I am slowly getting there, with just a few items for which to find a home, and then I will be photographing my studio and will give you a tour in the fall, sharing my ideas (like the embossed tags shown above!)

Cheers,

Sue :)

Meaningful Mondays: Aug 13

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The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; 

they just make the most of everything that comes their way.

And speaking of something coming our way, it was 8 years ago today that our little princess came into our lives, blue and not breathing.  Luckily, our medical team resolves that quickly and handed our wrinkled, red beauty to me.  It was love at first sight.

And oh, how you've grown so quickly!

Happy birthday, baby girl - we love you lots!!