Right Here. Right Now. | Oct 24

Back in 2011, inspired by my friends, Lee and Christa, I started a weekly list of documenting my life at a moment in time.  I kept it up for a bit but life got busy.

So I tried again in 2013.  This time, I stuck with it for a decidedly longer bit of time - and looking back, I love that I included PhotoBooth selfies each time!  So great to go back and see life at a given point in time. But alas, blogging took a back seat to Life.

Well, hopefully the third time's a charm.  Because I'm resurrecting this again, in hope that it will encourage regular blogging and documenting of our daily life.

The Project:  Every Sunday (or some part during the weekend!), at some point, I will post a self-portrait (it won't always be pretty - I'm warning you now!!) and document what I'm doing/feeling/seeing... right now.

dateline:  belle river, ontario, canada @ 12:01 pm on oct 25, 2015
weather outside:   overcast, cool
mood inside:  productive

listening to:  my Rdio paylist (presently playing, Call by Francesco Yates)
eating:  a simple breakfast of a toasted bagel with herb & garlic cream cheese
drinking:  water
wearing:  black yoga pants, black henley shirt
feeling:  productive - hoping to check off several things of my list today!
wanting:  another day in this weekend
needing:  to find a solution to paper clutter
thinking:  about food prep for the week
enjoying:  this crisp fall weather - my favourite season!
learning:  to say yes more to my family and no to everyone else
creating:  plans for the upcoming fundraiser crop I'm planning!
wondering:  about the results from Aili's EEG on Tuesday
procrastinating:  cleaning my studio (see photo below!)
loving:  my new wood wall in my dining room! (see it on Instagram here)
anticipating:  dinner with my dad tonight!

what a mess!

Cheers,

Getting to Know Me - 2015 Edition

Browsing through my blog post, I came across this quiz, sent to me from a friend.

Since I want to do a better job of documenting the Here and Now, I thought it would be interesting to see how my life has changed in five years...


1. What is your occupation right now? 
2010: Accountant. Writer. Photographer. Teacher. Mom.  Take your pick.

2015: Mom. Wife. Accountant. Scrapbooker. Event Coordinator. 

2. What colour are your socks right now? 

2010: Pink

2015: Black

3. What are you listening to right now? 

2010: Beautiful Day by U2

2015: Prayer in C by Robin Schulz

4. What was the last thing that you ate? 

2010: Marshmallow egg

2015: Red seedless grapes

5. Can you drive a stick shift?  

2010: But of course!

2015: Definitely.  It's a good skill to have!

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? 

2010: Gary, via BlackBerry Messenger

2015: My nephew, Cory, via iMessage

7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? 

2010: Absolutely!

2015: Still like her, although I haven't seen here in years!

8. How old are you today? 

2010: 42.  And holding.

2015: 39.  I don't know how that happened...

9. What is your favourite sport to watch on TV?  

2010: Hockey, with soccer and football tied for second place.

2016: Football, hands down!  Probably the ONLY sport I watch on TV.  Even with the Blue Jays in the finals...

10. What is your favourite drink? 

2010: Lime Margharitas and Bailey's on ice.

2015: Gin and tonic, Bloody Caesars

11. Have you ever dyed your hair?  

2010: Ever since I was 19 - heck, I can't even REMEMBER my original shade!

2015: Out of necessity now. So. Much. Grey. (although the "Granny look" is trending!)

12. Favourite food?  

2010: King crab legs

2015: Still crab legs, with salted butter. Also a thick, juicy steak is delicious!

13. What is the last movie you watched? 

2010: Up In The Air

2015: The Princess Diaries (trying to keep Aili awake for her sleep-deprived EEG test the next morning) and Back to the Future (in honour of yesterday - Oct 21, 2015!)

14. Favorite day of the year? 

2010: First day of school! :D

2015: First day of summer!

15. How do you vent anger? 

2010: I'd say yoga... but there's nothing like a good cleansing scream.

2015: See above.

16. What was your favourite toy as a child? 

2010: Easy Bake oven.  Barbie Stylin' Head.

2015: See above.  And my Hot Wheels race track.

17. What is your favourite season? 

2010: Fall

2015: This answer will never change - I LOVE fall weather!

18. Cherries or Blueberries? 

2010: Cherries

2015: Cherries. Unless I'm super hungry and don't want to chew around the pit! :)

19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? 

2010: I want them to post their answer on THEIR blog, with a link in my comments so I can see! :)

2015: n/a

20. Who is the most likely to respond?  

2010: I dunno!

2015: n/a


21. Who is least likely to respond? 

2010: I dunno!

2015: n/a

22. Living arrangements? 

2010: Hubby, son, daughter.

2015: Hubby. Son. Daughter. Still waiting for the hubby to agree to another Golden Retriever...

23. When was the last time you cried? 

2010: January

2015: Last week.  Stupid commercial.

24. What is on the floor of your closet? 

2010: Bag of clothes to donate.  Basket of shoes.  Laundry Basket.  Clothes that missed the aforementioned item.

2015: Framed university/college degree/diplomas. Sconces to be hung up. Basket of mismatched socks. (WHERE DO THEY GO!?!?!)

25. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to? 

2010: n/a

26. What did you do last night? 

2010: Easter dinner with family, then played Wii.

2015: Event planning for fundraiser crop (April 2016!! Save the date!)

27. What are you most afraid of?  

2010: Something terrible happening to any of my family members or friends.

2015: Same

28. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburger? 

2010: Cheese, please - but make mine mozzarella and don't be afraid to add some sauteed onions and mushrooms, and a bit of bbq sauce, too!

2015: Cheese - more specifically, a Big Daddy Mac from Mamo Burger!

29. Favourite dog breed? 

2010: Golden Retrievers, of course.

2015: Still love 'em!

30. Favourite day of the week? 

2010: Friday.  The only day where we don't have swim practice or gymnastics or meetings... it's our Family night.

2015: Thursday or Friday - depending on when the football game is! :)

31. How many countries have you lived in? 

2010: One

2015: Still one... unless I win the 50 millions dollars and then I'm moving to Bora Bora.

32. Diamonds or pearls? 

2010: Diamonds - much less pretentious and a whole lot more sparkly!

2015: Diamonds - it's all about the bling, baby!

33. What is your favourite flower? 

2010: Gerbera Daisy, Stargazer Lily, Dahlia, Iris... I'm not particular, if you want to send them...

2015: Peonies. And orchids.

May and June Sketchy Winners!

Thanks to all who played along in the May and June challenges - my apologies for the delay in announcing the winners!

Using Random.org, I listed the winners for both challenges,

(for May)

List Randomizer

There were 3 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Anne
2. Karla
3. Lee-Anne

Timestamp: 2015-10-20 02:01:46 UTC, IP: 24.55.199.95

(for June)

List Randomizer

There were 2 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Genevieve
2. Karla

Timestamp: 2015-10-20 01:56:05 UTC, IP: 24.55.199.95

Congratulations, Anne and Genevieve! Drop me a line with your mailing address to sue[AT]canadianscrapbooker[DOT]ca and I will get your goodies out to you ASAP!


Thanks again to all who played along!  Not just for these months, but for all the months since September 2012 when I began doing the sketches!  If you missed any of them, you can find them all listed on my Sketches page.

Cheers,

Hello...??

[source]

Is anyone still there??

I seriously can't believe that it's been over four months since my last blog post.  To be honest, as I scrolled past my posts in the last year or so, it was all sharing layouts and posting challenges and creating cut files and announcing winners.

Gone were the posts with funny anecdotes about the kids like this one from 2012 and this one from 2006.  Or the documenting posts about life at a given point in time, such as Connor's 11th birthday or one of Aili's many stays at the hospital.

You may have noticed that the talented Kelly Klapstein is now creating the sketches for Canadian Scrapbooker.  Now don't get me wrong - I loved creating the sketches for Canadian Scrapbooker (and you, my lovelies!).  But it seemed that as I delved deeper into the designing world, the less I was documenting our lives.  Which is the main reason I created this blog in May 2006, 1143 blog posts ago...

And so after a discussion with my wonderful boss (and friend!), Jackie, I decided to take a short break from my commitments with Canadian Scrapbooker.  As of July 2015, I no longer create the sketches or Paper Cut files for the magazine.  In fact, I don't think that I've even turned on my Silhouette since then! :(  Life just seemed so overwhelming and full that I felt torn between trying to get it all done.

And so, a small break was needed to help me focus on my priorities (family, health, friends) and feed my creative soul (writing, scrapbooking, drawing/painting).  It's still a work in progress but I'm enjoying the absence of deadlines for the time being, while football and gymnastics and other things occupy this time in my life.

So to those of you who are still patiently waiting for a prize package from me....

  {--- (this is me)

Thank you for being patient with me!! I have packages for Rhea S. (NL) and Karen Sue W. (MB) boxed, labelled and ready to drop off at the post office tomorrow!  And I still need to announce May and June winners so check back tomorrow!

Thanks for sticking around - I'm committing myself to regular blogging and freebies in the future so please come back and see what's new!


Cheers,

Jun 2015 Sketchy Challenge

Welcome to another Sketchy Challenge!  Here's my sketch for June 2015 - you can also see my sketch in the CS Sketchy Gallery here.

No project again from me this month, sadly - Planning and packing for our Disney trip in early June took up a lot of my creative time! :(

Hopefully you find some time this month to play along!  Again, please head over to the Sketchy gallery and get inspired to create your own layout!  You can use the sketch as is or as a springboard for your project - the choice is yours!

{RAK ALERT!}
If you play along with the sketch this month, upload your layout in the gallery into the June 2015 Sketch section HERE, and then in your comment below, add a link to that layout, by 11:59 pm on Jun 30th, 2015.  On or around July 1st, 2015, I will randomly draw a winner from the comments here of those who participated, for a prize!

**PLEASE NOTE:  In order to qualify for a chance to be published in an upcoming issue, your layout must be posted in the online gallery by Jun 30th, 2015.  To qualify to win MY prize, you must add a link to your layout BELOW, using the inlinkz tool, by Jun 30th, 2015!


Cheers,

An InLinkz Link-up

April Sketchy Challenge Winner!

Thanks to all those who played along with my April Sketchy challenge.  A winner was randomly chosen for each, using random.org…

List Randomizer

There were 5 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Karen
2. snazzyjj
3. Elaine
4. Anita
5. Sandy

Timestamp: 2015-05-16 05:03:17 UTC

Congratulations, Karen! Drop me a line with your mailing address to sue[AT]canadianscrapbooker[DOT]ca and I will get your goodies out to you!

Last month, I asked previous winners to email me if you were still waiting for a prize from me - my planner (with my blog prize list of winners and addresses) had taken an unexpected bath!  The good news is that I have sent out prizes for Michelle, Karrie and Rebecca!!  I am still waiting to hear back from Sarah and Rhea… if you know them, please pass along the message!

Thanks again to all who played along!  There's still time to play along with the May challenge - you can find it here!


Cheers,

Paper Cuts | Spring 2015

In every issue of Canadian Scrapbooker  I design themed cut files in .studio and .svg formats that will be available for download on the Canadian Scrapbooker website, as well as here on my blog, on my PaperCuts page.

I just realized that I forgot to share my Paper Cuts projects from the Spring 2015 issue!  (I also have an announcement on our April winner for the Sketchy Challenge coming up in a day or two…)

Here are this issue's cut files available for download:  

Spring Journaling Cards

||  DOWNLOAD NOW  ||

Clouds

||  DOWNLOAD NOW  ||

Monarch Butterfly

||  DOWNLOAD NOW  ||

Here's are my projects created with them:

Supplies used:  Canadian Scrapbooker SuperStock; Strathmore watercolour paper; Silhouette Cameo die cutting machine; Sue Sykes Spring Journal Cards cut files; Prima Marketing flowers; Artist's Loft watercolours; Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L foam squares; Me And My Big Ideas rhinestones; paintbrush; miscellaneous button.

Supplies used:  Bazzill Basics Paper cardstock; Simple Stories patterned paper; Silhouette Cameo die cutting machine; Sue Sykes Clouds and Spring Journal Cards cut files; Silhouette cut file (sun); Making Memories fabric label.

Supplies used:  Strathmore Drawing paper; Bazzill Basics Bling cardstock; Silhouette Cameo die cutting machine; Sue Sykes Monarch cut file; Sharpie; watercolour crayons; aqua brush.

You can find the links to download these and other files on my PaperCuts page (CLICK HERE!)

Cheers,

May 2015 Sketchy Challenge

Welcome to another Sketchy Challenge!  Here's my sketch for May 2015 - I hope you find time this month to play along!  You can also see my sketch in the CS Sketchy Gallery here.

You may recognize this sketch from a layout that I did for our Forrest Gump inspired issue in the Summer 2013 issue.  With the popularity of pocket scrapbooking gaining ground in the industry, making memory keeping easier to fit in our busy lives, I thought the sketch for this layout would work well for both types of scrapbooking (pocket page and traditional).

My layout used several library-tupe pockets to hold hidden journaling, but in the sketch, i've added photos and one hidden pocket for journaling (see top right rectangle).

Supplies:  Bazzill cardstock; Canadian Scrapbooker SuperStock; Fancy Pants patterned paper, stickers, transparent owl, felt star and rub-ons; Maya Road sheet bird & ticket; Martha Steward Crafts, EK Success and McGill punches, Martha Stewart Crafts scoring board (for pockets); American Crafts and Lily Bee alpha stickers; Scenic Route, Heidi Swapp and unknown chipboard pieces; 7 Gypsies and Recollections paper/fabric tapes; The Twinery twine, Memento ink; KI Memories acrylic tile; Making Memories metal tag; Stockade wooden dragonfly, Sakura marker; Pea Sarah font; Scrapbook Adhesives tape runner and 3L Dodz; KaiserCraft & Heidi Swapp bling; Imaginisce stamp; miscellaneous buttons.

You can see more detailed photos and comments on my original blog post.

Hopefully you find some time this month to play along!  Again, please head over to the Sketchy gallery and get inspired to create your own layout!  You can use the sketch as is or as a springboard for your project - the choice is yours!

{RAK ALERT!}
If you play along with the sketch this month, upload your layout in the gallery into the May 2015 Sketch section HERE, and then in your comment below, add a link to that layout, by 11:59 pm on May 31st, 2015.  On or around June 1st, 2015, I will randomly draw a winner from the comments here of those who participated, for a prize!

**PLEASE NOTE:  In order to qualify for a chance to be published in an upcoming issue, your layout must be posted in the online gallery by May 31st, 2015.  To qualify to win MY prize, you must add a link to your layout BELOW, using the inlinkz tool, by May 31st, 2015!

Cheers,

Click here to link up your project using inlinkz

March Sketchy Challenge Winner!

Thanks to all those who played along with my March Sketchy challenge.  A winner was randomly chosen for each, using random.org…

List Randomizer

There were 6 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Rhea
2. Karrie
3. Sandy
4. Rebecca
5. June
6. Ronda

Timestamp: 2015-04-21 04:32:12 UTC

Congratulations, RHEA! Drop me a line with your mailing address to sue[AT]canadianscrapbooker[DOT]ca and I will get your goodies out to you!  If you are waiting for a prize from me, please email me - my planner (with my blog prize list of winners and addresses) took an unexpected bath! :/

Thanks again to all who played along!  There's still time to play along with the April challenge - you can find it here!


Cheers,

Apr 2015 Sketchy Challenge

Welcome to another Sketchy Challenge - this time it's April and we are (hopefully) well on our way into Spring!

You can also see my sketch in the CS Sketchy Gallery here.

I am hoping to carve out some creative time this weekend so will share my project later.

Hopefully you find some time this month to play along!  Again, please head over to the Sketchy gallery and get inspired to create your own layout!  You can use the sketch as is or as a springboard for your project - the choice is yours!

{RAK ALERT!}
If you play along with the sketch this month, upload your layout in the gallery into the Apr 2015 Sketch section HERE, and then in your comment below, add a link to that layout, by 11:59 pm on April 30th, 2015.  On or around May 1st, 2015, I will randomly draw a winner from the comments here of those who participated, for a prize!

**PLEASE NOTE:  In order to qualify for a chance to be published in an upcoming issue, your layout must be posted in the online gallery by Apr 30th, 2015.  To qualify to win MY prize, you must add a link to your layout BELOW, using the inlinkz tool, by Apr 30th, 2015!

Cheers,

An InLinkz Link-up

Feb Sketchy Challenge winner!

Sorry for the delay (again!), folks - Life is certainly challenging me lately!  A winner was randomly chosen for each, using random.org…

List Randomizer

There were 9 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Karrie S
2. Ronda I
3. Sandy R
4. Lee-Anne T
5. Patricia R
6. Rebecca D
7. Sue D
8. June S
9. Laura W

Timestamp: 2015-03-25 02:00:47 UTC

Congratulations, KARRIE! Drop me a line with your mailing address to sue[AT]canadianscrapbooker[DOT]ca and I will get your goodies out to you!  I'm making it my goal to send out all outstanding prizes by Friday so watch your mailboxes if you haven't received your prize yet!!

Thanks again to all who played along!  There's still time to play along with the March challenge - I've extended the deadline to April 15th - you can find it here!


Cheers,

Mar 2015 Sketchy Challenge

Me = MIA this month!!  I mean, it's already Mar 24 and I'm just getting around to posting the March Sketchy Challenge! :(  So sorry, peeps!!

Please be sure to check out the awesome projects that have been posted for the March sketch in the CS Sketchy Gallery here.

Not a lot of creative time for me this time around - between infections and dance recitals and fundraising meetings, there's not been much time to create. :(  Maybe this weekend… *fingers crossed*

Hopefully you find some time this month to play along!  Again, please head over to the Sketchy gallery and get inspired to create your own layout!  You can use the sketch as is or as a springboard for your project - the choice is yours!

{RAK ALERT!}
If you play along with the sketch this month, upload your layout in the gallery into the Mar 2015 Sketch section HERE, and then in your comment below, add a link to that layout, by 11:59 pm on March 31st, 2015 (extended to April 15th, due to my tardiness!)  On or around Apr 16th, 2015, I will randomly draw a winner from the comments here of those who participated, for a prize!

**PLEASE NOTE:  In order to qualify for a chance to be published in an upcoming issue, your layout must be posted in the online gallery by Mar 31st, 2014.  To qualify to win MY prize, you must add a link to your layout BELOW, using the inlinkz tool, by Apr 15th, 2015!

Cheers,

An InLinkz Link-up

Dec & Jan Sketchy Challenge Winners!

Oh my goodness - my blog has taken a back seat lately!  Thanks to a reader for the gentle reminder that I need to post some winners!

I have December and January sketchy challenge winners to post!  A winner was randomly chosen for each, using random.org…

December Sketchy winner is:

List Randomizer

There were 2 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Rebecca
2. Sandy

Timestamp: 2015-02-26 04:41:49 UTC

January Sketchy winner is:

List Randomizer

There were 2 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Michelle
2. Rebecca

Timestamp: 2015-02-26 04:41:49 UTC

Congratulations, REBECCA and MICHELLE! Drop me a line with your mailing address to sue[AT]canadianscrapbooker[DOT]ca and I will get your goodies out to you!  I am behind in sending prizes at the moment, but if you have won something, please be patient - I will add extra goodies to make up for the inconvenience!

Thanks again to all who played along!  There are still three days left if you want to play along with the February challenge - you can find it here!


Cheers,

Feb Sketch reveal

Today I share my take on the February 2015 sketch on the CS blog:

Supplies used (I dug deep into the stash for this layout!): Bazzill Basics Paper cardstock; Fancy Pants, My Mind's Eye and Making Memories patterned paper; Silhouette Cameo die cutting machine; Sue Sykes cut file (circles); Sophie Gallo cut file (Mr. & Mrs.); Adobe Gothic Std font ("THE NEWLY"); Scrapbooks Adhesives by 3L foam squares; Sakura Micron pen.

I love this cut file from Sophie Gallo - it's so lovely!  And it cut quite nicely too, even though I resized mine to about 3.5" square.  The remainder of the title ("THE NEWLY") was so tiny and hard to glue down, but I love the end result:

And because I love you so, I've uploaded a free cut file of the overlapped circles - you can find it on my Paper Cuts page here (scroll down to the Other Personal Designs section)

Check out more info and upload your project on the original sketch challenge post HERE for a chance to win a randomly drawn prize!

Feb 2015 Sketchy Challenge

It's time for another Sketchy challenge!  You can view also view my February sketch in the CS Sketchy Gallery here.

I'll be back on Tuesday to share my project, both here and on the CS blog!

Hopefully you find some time this month to play along!  Please head over to the Sketchy gallery and get inspired to create your own layout!  You can use the sketch as is or as a springboard for your project - the choice is yours!

{RAK ALERT!}
If you play along with the sketch this month, upload your layout in the gallery into the Feb 2014 Sketch section HERE, and then in your comment below, add a link to that layout, by 11:59 pm on Feb 28th, 2015. On or around March 1st, 2015, I will randomly draw a winner from the comments here of those who participated, for a prize!

**PLEASE NOTE:  In order to qualify for a chance to be published in an upcoming issue, your layout must be posted in the online gallery by Feb 28th, 2014.  To qualify to win MY prize, you must add a link to your layout BELOW, using the inlinkz tool, by Feb 28th, 2015!

Cheers,

An InLinkz Link-up

Seven Sunday Blessings | Feb 1

[source]

This week, I am thankful for:

1.  Wonderful friends like the Roberts.  I'm so thankful that Connor and Bailey have remained friends since Gr. 6 and have brought our families together.

2.  Water.  I'm not only thankful for its' wonderful effects on our health, but that we are so blessed to have access to clean drinking water, as so many have not.

3.  SuperBowl.  Football has taken over our lives in the last few years, replacing swimming.  I don't usually care for televised sports but football is one game I can understand and actually enjoy!

4.  Grande skinny soy extra-hot peppermint mocha.  Even though it's $1.00 for each word in the title… :(

5.  OverDrive.  I now can just download books right from our local library to my iPad.  Sweet!

6.  Homemade biscuits.  Especially when they are still warm from the oven.  Yum.

7. Weekends.  'Nuff said.

What are you thankful for this week?

Cheers,

P/S:  Sketchy challenge to be posted shortly!

Seven Sunday Blessings | Jan 11

[source]

er… Seven Monday Blessings!

This week, I am thankful for:

1.  My new iPad brain training app, Peak.  Just over a week and already my brain has already improved 1%!  At my age, I need all the help I can get… :)

2. Technology in general.  I am amazed every day at how much easier it makes certain aspects of our lives, specifically health and finance.

3.  Warm cozy throws.

4.  EOS lip balms.  Did you know they were 95% organic and 100% natural? And did you know that EOS stands for "Evolution of Smooth"?  I learn something new every day….

5.  My hubby, who, despite being sick, managed to get the kids fed every night this week while I worked late and caught up after the holidays.

6.  My hairdresser - I've had so many compliments this week! :)

7.  Chocolate Mint Oolong tea by Stash.  Yum.

What are you thankful for this week?

Cheers,

P/S:  Don't forget about the following challenges on my blog:
December 2014 Sketchy Challenge (deadline:  January 15th, 2015)
January 2015 Sketchy Challenge (deadline:  January 31st, 2015)

Leave Your Legacy | Hairstyle Evolution

More about LYL:  As always, with each issue, I challenge our readers to participate. (To learn more about the LYL articles and challenges, please visit my LYL page for more info) In every other issue, I share my challenge and invite you to link up your layouts completed for this challenge here to share with everyone. I am even going to throw in a prize for each challenge!

While some scrapbook simply for the artistic expression, many of us enjoy this hobby because it allows us to document the memories that we want to remember, and to pass on to future generations. The goal of the LYL challenge is to share ourselves with them.

The Winter 2014/15 issue is out and with it, another Leave Your Legacy (LYL) challenge!  (Sadly, I missed the editing error of the incorrect title - the correct title of this issue's LYL article is The Hairstyle Evolution)

In this issue, I challenged you to create a layout about your hairstyles over the years and how they have (or haven't!) evolved.  Be sure to include dates, if possible and any details that future generations might find interesting!

I have had SOOOO many different hairstyles over the years - Did you notice the sneak peek that our graphic designer snuck under my head shot in the article?  Here's the entire photo, so you can see just how different I was from my other fellow Grade 13s at St. Anne's High School (innocent parties have been blurred to protect their identity :) ):

Haha - what is that thing on my head?!?

I didn't create a layout for this article but have all my photos ready to go for my girls' scrappy weekend away next week, so hopefully I will be productive and have something to share with you!

I am encouraging you, my readers, to create a project based on this challenge and to please share a link below to your LYL layout or project that is posted in an online gallery or on your blog. I'd love to see what you create!

Because I believe in the importance of leaving your legacy, I am offering up a prize of some yummy scrapbooking/stamping goodies for one lucky winner!

Because this article will appear in every other issue, there's more time to complete this challenge!  It  runs from now until 11:59pm on May 31st, 2015. I will randomly draw a name from the entries submitted and post the winner on or around June 1st. Please feel free to email me at sue[AT]canadianscrapbooker[DOT]com, if you have any questions about linking your project.

Cheers,

P/S:  Don't forget about the following challenges on my blog:
December 2014 Sketchy Challenge (deadline:  January 15th, 2015)
January 2015 Sketchy Challenge (deadline:  January 31st, 2015)

An InLinkz Link-up

Seven Sunday Blessings | Jan 4

[source]

There's so much for which I am thankful that I decided that it was time to bring back my Seven Sunday Blessings posts.  Just to remind me, in case I forget to be thankful!

And right now, I am thankful:

1.  For the atypical weather we've been having.  I'm SOOO okay with a green Christmas, especially when family is traveling for the holidays!

2.  For Starbucks red cups.  Specifically, grande skinny peppermint mochas WITH whip.  Because it's not a peppermint mocha without it.

3.  Fuzzy slippers.

4.  That I have the willpower to bring the remaining boxes of candy and chocolate that we have left over from Christmas into work to share with co-workers.  It makes the whole "clean eating" resolution so much easier to stick to when it's not in the house!

5.  That we have become close friends with Connor's best friend's parents.  We celebrated New Years Eve with a delicious dinner at Mezzo's and drinks back at their place - even if we did miss the ball drop!  Gary is blaming Bell for their delayed feed… :)

6.  That there are less than 150 days to Disney!  We are so excited to spend this trip with the Kims.

7.  For Black's Photo and their great deals on photo books.  I created a small photo book, using a handful of Instagram photos to document our 2014 - for only $5!  I think I will do this every year!

What are you thankful for this week?

Cheers,

P/S:  Don't forget about the following challenges on my blog:
December 2014 Sketchy Challenge (deadline:  January 15th, 2015)
January 2015 Sketchy Challenge (deadline:  January 31st, 2015)

Paper Cuts - Winter 2014/2015

In every issue, I will design themed cut files in .studio and .svg formats that will be available for download on the Canadian Scrapbooker website, as well as here on my blog, on my PaperCuts page.

In the Winter 2014/2015 issue of Canadian Scrapbooker, three of my cut files and projects are featured (pg. 78 & 79).

Here are this issue's cut files available for download:  

Here's are my projects created with them:

Supplies used:  HalCraft card base; Canadian Scrapbooker SuperStock; Core'dinations ColorCore cardstock; Bo Bunny patterned paper; Tsukineko VersaMark ink; Stampendous embossing powder; Silhouette Cameo die cutting machine; Sue Sykes Let It Snow cut files; Martha Stewart Crafts border punch; KaiserCraft rhinestones; Artistic ribbon; Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L foam squares.

Supplies used:  HalCraft card base; Glitz Designs and Bo Bunny patterned paper; Bazzill Basics Paper cardstock;  Ranger Distress ink; Silhouette Cameo die cutting machine; Sue Sykes Rudolph cut files; Artistic ribbon.

Supplies used:  Bazzill Basics Paper card stock   My Mind's Eye patterned paper; Tsukineko VersaMark ink; Stampendous embossing powder; Silhouette Cameo die cutting machine; Sue Sykes Wonky Heart cut file; Prima Marketing crystals; American Crafts Thickers; Making Memories bookplate; Tim Holtz ticket; Michaels butterfly; Tūl marker; sewing machine; thread.

You can find the links to download these and other files on my PaperCuts page (CLICK HERE!)

Cheers,

P/S:  Don't forget about the following challenges on my blog:
December 2014 Sketchy Challenge (deadline:  January 15th, 2015)
January 2015 Sketchy Challenge (deadline:  January 31st, 2015)