Hallowe'en 2012

We had a relatively quiet Hallowe'en this year - the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy trickled down our way and left the night cold and rainy.

I came home later than I wanted, thanks to an inventory scheduled today.  Gary had ordered pizza for the kids and after a few photos snapped very quickly, they headed out - Aili with Gary and Connor to meet up with his friend, B.  That was around 6:30pm.

By 7:30, Connor and B came in and Gary and Aili followed close behind.  It had started raining and was getting very cold. :( Around 7:10pm, I was on my last box of chips (I hand out one bag per child, plus a handful of chocolates/candy, so I can keep track by counting the bags left!) but we only had a handful of kids after that - I think our final count was around 90 kids.

Aili found a small witch's hat and broom in Michaels' in the US, when we went over for BTS shopping & drum set pick up (I just realized that I didn't blog about that yet!).  I found a dress at Value Village that we cut up with a jagged hem, a stuffed crow from the dollar store and a fabulous veiled hat from Shoppers that really put the Michaels' hat to shame! :)   It was marked down to $3.75 because of a small tear in the back part of the veil - to be honest, I couldn't even see it!  A black wig and black lipstick and she was (w)itching to go!

(Ha ha - see what I did there?)

Connor spent a lot of time on his costume - he and Gary spray-painted his old hockey gear (from when he was five!) and made it look all camoflage-y (why, yes, I think that is a real word...).  Add a helmet, goggles, flashlight and rifle and you have a super-futuristic-warrior-character.

(Still not sure what he was going for, but it was creative and he didn't need me to sew anything so I'm happy).

Tons of candy later, and you've got two sleepy-but-high-on-sugar kids who don't want to go to bed.

Time for Mama to break out the adult candy (i.e. Baileys and tea)... ;)

Happy Hallowe'en, ya'll!

Cheers,

P/S:  Don't forget about the following challenges on my blog for a chance to win (deadlines in brackets):

It's a Sketchy Challenge (Oct 31/12 - THAT'S TONIGHT!!)

Leave Your Legacy (Nov 30/12)

Meaningful Mondays: Oct 29

[source]

Seven Sunday Blessings: Oct 28

[source]

This week, I am thankful:

1) for buying getting Christmas presents that make you excited! :)

2) that I finished two layouts this week!  And one is a double-pager, which are always a struggle for me...

3)  for organization!  I finally tackled the bins of paperwork that needed to be sorted and filed/shredded.

4)  to Amanda for introducing us to YNAB.  I love how simple it is to stay on budget and to meet your financial goals each year.

5)  for brisk, fall weather.  Great for sleeping.

6)  for Cherry Delight dessert - so yummy!

7)  for having made the decision to finally close down the online store.  While I miss designing kits and stamps, and the wonderful online community we had, Gary will be happy to claim back his corner of the basement. ;)

What are YOU thankful for this week?

Cheers,

P/S:  Don't forget about the following challenges on my blog for a chance to win (deadlines in brackets):
It's a Sketchy Challenge (Oct 31/12)
Leave Your Legacy (Nov 30/12)

Good-bye, Xacto...

Hello, Silhouette Cameo!!

I finally did it - I broke down and bought the Cameo!  Well, technically Gary and the kids bought it for me for Christmas... :)

I couldn't pass it up - Studio Calico had such a great deal on it... $279.99 for all of this:

Silhouette Cameo Electronic Cutting Tool 

Silhouette Studio® software

51 exclusive cuttable designs 

Power cable, USB cable 

12" cutting mat 

Cutting blade 

$10 gift card to the Silhouette Online Store 

Basic Instruction Guide

Teal dust cover 

Additional Replacement Blade 

Additional Silhouette Cameo 12x12 cutting mat 

Additional $10 download card

And free shipping!

I will probably have to pay HST on it when it arrived, but it still works out to be cheaper than anywhere else I've seen.

And I'm so excited to be able to use the 8,000+ fonts I have!!  Or to create my own masks or die cut backgrounds:

[source:  Paper Eudaimonia]

Or to cut out and use negative space on my layouts:

[Layout by Davinie Fiero for Studio Calico]

Or to create something like this for the holidays:

[Harvest banner by Lindsay for Silhouette America - click HERE for a tutorial!]

I'm so excited!  I hope Gary's not going to make me wait til Christmas though... I can always give him the empty box to wrap!

And so, in honour of my new toy, I've decided to make Fridays on the blog, Free Font Fridays!  Each week, I will share a new free font.  But I missed posting this on Friday so this week, it will be Free Font Saturday!

Today, I'd like to share one of my favourite fonts - perfect for party invitations or menus.  I can't wait to try titles with it on my Cameo!

[Aquarelle download from Fonts101.com]

Happy Friday!

November Sketch Sneak

Today, Connor and I had a friendly argument over Hallowe'en.

It seems that the days are getting away from me because I could have SWORN that Oct 31st was on Thursday next week...  You'd think I would know this, since my final inventory is scheduled that day.

(Yep.  On Hallowe'en.  I'm guessing it was scheduled by someone who doesn't have children of the trick-or-treating age.)

Well, it's a good thing he didn't take me up on my bet - he would have been right!  (But don't let him hear me say that....)

Anyhow, the end of the month also signals the last day to upload your layout based the October sketch into the CS It's a Sketchy Challenge gallery here!  And, if you comment on my October 1st post and add a link to your layout in the gallery, I will enter your name into a draw to win a copy of the Fall 2012 issue of Canadian Scrapbooker magazine.

The end of October also brings the 1st of November and I've got a great sketch for you!  (IMHO, anyways... :))  I've been working on my layout in bits and pieces over the last few nights and I love how it's come together! Here's a quick sneak peek...

Check back on November 1st for the reveal and sketch link!

Meaningful Mondays: Oct 22

[source]

Seven Sunday Blessings: Oct 21

This week, I am thankful:

1.  That Amanda was able to come for a visit, and bring Renee too!  Everyone had a wonderful time and the eight days just flew by!

2.  For ScrapFest.  The shopping, the scrapping, the giggles... every year, I get to meet up with online and far away friends and we have a blast!

3.  For crusty bread and dipping oil.  The best recipe for this.  Ever.

4.  That through the generosity of people in SK, Amanda and C95FM was able to raise over $300,000 towards breast cancer research.  WTG!!

5.  For creative, imaginative kids.  When they put down the electronics and apply themselves, that is! :)

6.  For homemade pierogies.  Seriously.  Like the frozen pierogies aren't enough, now I have to be tempted by these babies in my freezer...

7.  That Connor is enjoying his free time this year - he's doing more writing and reading, and the other day, I came home and he was practicing the bass... without being told!

What are YOU thankful for this week?

Cheers,

P/S:  Don't forget about the following challenges on my blog for a chance to win (deadlines in brackets):

It's a Sketchy Challenge (Oct 31/12)

Leave Your Legacy (Nov 30/12)

Guess What's Coming?

Isn't this gorgeous!!

The Winter 2012/13 issue of Canadian Scrapbooker magazine will be on its' way to me in less than a month and I've very excited!  Not only does it have awesome holiday home decor AND Christmas cards, but remember my sneak peek?   This issue will also have my second Leave Your Legacy article and layout - and a photo-less layout, at that!

And just when you think it couldn't get any more exciting...  Dec 1st is also the release date for our new Canadian Scrapbooker Basics Vol. 6 - more stamping with Cathie Allan!!

I can barely stand it!  Start stalking your LSS or Chapters or mailbox - they will ship at the end of November!!!!!

Cheers,

P/S:  Don't forget about the following challenges on my blog for a chance to win (deadlines in brackets):

It's a Sketchy Challenge (Oct 31/12)

Leave Your Legacy (Nov 30/12)

Flashback Fridays: Oct 19

Another conversation to share...

Scenes from the backseat...

originally posted on Oct 10, 2007

As played out on the ride home last night:

Scene: Chrysler caravan, heading home after a long night spent at the urgent care clinic.

Characters: Mom, driving. Aili, a precocious 3 y/o. Connor, a handsome 8 y/o... whose manners are apparently disappearing with age.

Narrator: It's 7pm. After a busy day at work and then 2 hours in a local clinic, Mom decides to forgo the healthy grilled chicken and vegetables for dinner and stops at a fast food restaurant. Elated, the children dig into their meals as Mom steers the brood home.

Connor: Smack. Smack. Slurp. Chomp. Smack.

Mom: Connor, please chew with your mouth closed.

Connor: Sorry, Mom.

Several blissfully quiet minutes pass.

Connor: Smack. Smack. Slurp. Chomp. Smack.

Aili: Connor!! Chew wif your mouf close!! I 'a hear you - 'At's as-gusting!"

Curtain closes, with Mom making a mental note to mind her reprimands' wordings...

Scrapbook Studio Tour: Part V

If you are visiting for the Inspiration Elevator Challenge, please click here!

Welcome to the final leg of the 360 Degree Tour! :)

Sorry I missed posting this last week - I was busy with inventory, then Thanksgiving, our guests arriving and packing for ScrapFest!

The final wall has no furniture against it (unless I roll the desk there if my kids want to play Lego on the floor by me while I'm writing) but it is covered with four - for now - Bygel rails from Ikea, posted high so there is room to add more as my collection grows.  Small punches are stored in a Bygel wire basket, with hand held punches in a metal bucket.

My dies from Spellbinders and other various manufacturers are stored on the magnetic wall frame that I blogged about on the Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine blog here (or you can see it here on my blog).  Although it had a few less dies on it then... and now it is full so I have to decide whether I'm going to limit my shopping or my storage... :)

Next to this wall is the closet that is under our stairs.  It has shelving and a lateral filing cabinet.  Photo boxes and labeled bins with extra adhesive or class handouts live here.  I also have three Sterilite drawer units that hold my 8.5" x 11" or smaller cardstock scraps, sorted by colour.  Large scraps are stored on top of the drawers in a plastic paper holder.  It's not a pretty system but it works for me!

Further into the closet is another rolling cart that stores my envelopes, labels and other office supplies that aren't used as often.  I also keep my Mimi scrapbooking tote and other bins back here, and any wall decor that is waiting to be hung in the studio (like my gorgeous frame found at a flea market!)

The last thing I want to share is my custom desk.  I used 2 2x2 Expedit shelves and mounted them on casters, to bring them to counter height.  This allows me to stand, which I often do, or to pull up a bar stool and sit, if I'm doing back-breaking work like fussy cutting!  This also allows me to roll the desk around to suit my fancy - sometimes it is parallel to my french doors:

And sometimes it is perpendicular:

The countertop was originally be a slab of wood, covered with tempered smoked glass, so I could cut and work right on top of it.  But when we set it on the shelves, it was so shiny and pretty that I didn't want to ruin it by cutting directly on it!  And I liked the transparent view of the smoked glass so we scrapped the idea of a wooden base and simply added clear bumper feet in between the shelves and glass top.  They stop the glass from sliding when moving the desk,  and protect the shelves' tops!

One side holds a basket for wipes and a bin with art journals.  A large flat Kassett box (which doesn't seem to be available anymore) holds all of my watercolour paints and crayons, pastels and calligraphy barrels and nibs.  The red patterned boxes are from Ikea as well (similar to Pingla boxes) - one is empty and the other holds my vintage patterns, tissue papers and coffee filters (for these gorgeous flowers!)

I cut the label tags for these boxes from Super Stock, and decorated with matching red holes and jute string.  I then punched a half circle at the opening of a baseball card protector, slid in the tag and attached to the front of the box with Glue Dots.  This makes it easier to change the contents of a box without ruining the front - I simply cut a new tag and replace the old one!

The other shelf is filled with various baskets and boxes, storing oft-used products.  This side holds trimmers, Xyron machines,  Cropodile,  Big Kick die cutter and accessories, embossing folders and Tim Holtz dies.  One of the bins is empty for future growth! :)

And that ends the 360 Degree Tour - thanks for joining me! :)

Inspiration Elevator - Challenge 6

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.  You can view all of the challenges on my blog here.

Please join me in welcoming Denise Morrison.  Denise's blog is aptly named Life is Yummy and so is her art!

This month, our challenger was the very talented Ann Jobes. Her challenge to us is as follows: 

This month's challenge is a journalling prompt. I realize some of us do not journal much on our pages, and if we're truthful, we mostly scrapbook for ourselves - it gives us joy, a creative outlet, etc. But we do hope that someone is going to page through these albums sometime in the future, right? For this month's challenge, I'd like you to think about some of those values or beliefs that are important to you. 

There is no "right way" to do this. Spend some time thinking about this. It's your chance to share with future generations something that is important to you and makes you who you are. Take some time to collect some verses, quotes or sayings that speak to your soul. Choose one that you think is a "life verse" - something that really communicates the essence of you.

Use whatever photo(s) you think will suit your message. Enjoy putting a meaningful page together using your favourite techniques, style, papers - whatever makes it "you".
I know this is going to be difficult. I'm asking you to reverse your process and put the message first when we so often put our message/journalling last, as an afterthought, if at all.

As soon as I read this challenge, I knew what I was going to do.  The quote I decided to use is one that I have always loved, and even feature it on my blog's sidebar.  You may recall that I even have a stamped tile from my friend, Lori Mancini, with this quote.

The reason I love it so much is that it truly describes the philosophy after which  I have tried to model my life.  It expresses my belief that life is meant to be thoroughly enjoyed, no holds barred.  That you shouldn't let something like your size or education or other people decide what you can or more importantly, CANNOT do.

Life is meant to be enthusiastically lived.  Go and do so!

I completed most of my layout, which is photoless, at ScrapFest this past weekend, but had to add some last minute stitching and my computer journaling (which was such a pain that I have sworn off it almost entirely).  Here it is:

Supplies used:  Bazzill cardstock; Stampin' Up! patterned papers (Fan Fair series) and stamps (Postage Due); Tim Holtz (Ranger) and Ingvilde Bolme (Prima) inks; EK Success punch, KaiserCraft pearls; Stampin' Up! piercing template;  QuicKutz alpha die (Holly); Glossy Accents; American Crafts, Stampin' Up! and Reminisce markers; Scrapbook Adhesives foam adhesive.

Here are some close-ups:

I fussy cut some of the paper elements from a second sheet of paper and attached, using foam adhesive. The flowers were punched from coordinating paper and shaped using the rounded end of my paper piercer and since I couldn't find my mousepad in the mounds of product I brought with me, I used my soft package of wipes! :)

The journaling was typed into Microsoft Word into a text box, sized to the dimensions required.  I printed it out onto plain copy paper first and then attached a small piece of cardstock, using repositionable adhesive.  

Just a tip - before printing the first time, place a small X at the top of your page, noting where it sits in the paper tray.  Then when the paper comes out and you attach your cardstock, you will know which way to place it into the tray!

The journaling reads:

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intentions of arriving safely in an attractive, well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, champagne in one hand... strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, "WOO HOO!"

See? Words to live by... :)

The title was a sort of happy accident.  I originally cut the title, using the Holly alpha set, from a coordinating colour.  But it didn't show well, so I outlined it in a grey marker.  But it didn't really sit well with me so I tried to outline it again with Liquid Pearls.  That was a disaster so I wiped it off and peeled the diecut letters off and filled in the outline with Glossy Accents.  Success!

And because balance is everything in my little world, I added a small collage of bits to the upper right corner.

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

Ann Jobes

Cathy Harper

Sue Sykes <--that's me!

Lisa Spiegel

Joanne Burton

Christa Uttley

Laura Whitaker

Audrey Yeager

Lisa Moen

Laurel Seabrook

Denise Morrison, Guest Designer

We would love to see what you are inspired to create.   Add a comment and a link below and we will be sure to drop by and say hello.

Cheers,

P/S:  Don't forget about the following challenges on my blog (deadlines in brackets):

It's a Sketchy Challenge (Oct 31/12)

Leave Your Legacy (Nov 30/12)

Flashback Fridays: Oct 12

In honour of ScrapFest, I'm revisiting a post from October 2010, from the first ScrapFest show in Oshawa!

(originally posted Oct 20, 2010)
ScrapFest Memories - Oshawa 2010

Well, I think I may have finally recovered from my ScrapFest weekend!

I was starting to feel the rumblings of an almighty chest cold, going into it, so I had been dosing up on Vitamin C and liquids. It seems to have helped because I never really developed a full blown cold (touch wood!) - although I did lose my voice completely!

I suspect that may have had more to do with the talking, hysterical laughter and drinking on Saturday! :)

I left early on Friday, hoping to miss good ole' GTA traffic. Had to stop in London at Henry's (less than 10 minutes - it always helps when you know exactly what you need) and made it to Brooklin/Oshawa in about 4.5 hours. Thanks to my awesome friend, Jennifer, for putting me up for the weekend!!

My scrappy friends and I have been planning this weekend for a while! We have been friends since 2005, when we met in an online forum. It's been a while since we've seen each other so it was nice to connect and giggle like schoolgirls again.

Did I mention the X-rated conversations and alcohol consumption? ;)

During the day, we were all well behaved though! I worked Friday night and Saturday at the Canadian Scrapbooker magazine booth with co-founder, Katharina Doyle. I've known Katharina since beginning with the magazine at its' debut, but we've never had the pleasure of meeting.



Have you every met someone and felt like you've really known them for years? That was Katharina and I! We had so much fun, chatting with our readers and subscribers, as well as new friends we met along the way.

At the booth, I took snapshots of the attendees and printed them out on a sweet printer that Sony donated for the show. I'll review it in a few days, but suffice it to say that it was an impressive little printer!!

Stay tuned for a montage of photos from our booth photo sessions - coming up in the next few days!

Cheers,

P/S:  Don't forget about the following challenges on my blog for a chance to win (deadlines in brackets):
It's a Sketchy Challenge (Oct 31/12)
Leave Your Legacy (Nov 30/12)

Seven Sunday Monday Blessings: Oct 8

[source]

Because it is Thanksgiving, this is the holiday version of Seven Sunday Blessings!

This week, I am thankful:

1.  That my niece and nephews traveled safely from Toronto to join us for our family's celebration on Sunday, along with their significant others.

2.  That Gary's brother was able to switch his shift and come home as well with Gary's dad.  The kids adore him and he kept them entertained all weekend! :)

3.  For Cory's Ode to Nonna's Pasta Sauce... well done, C! :)

4.  That we all gathered together, healthy and (relatively) whole to spend the day together.

5.  For homemade pumpkin pie.  Yum...

6.  For seeing my dad.  It's been a while and although he has lost some weight and seems frail to me, it was nice to see him still spry and engaged at 84!

7.  For The Game of Things.  And bike with kegs.  And dead bodies.  And dy-no-mite!  (Sorry, inside joke...)  Fun game, but can make you snort gin and tonic... Just saying!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our Canadian friends and family - wishing you all the blessings and happiness you deserve!

Cheers,

P/S:  Don't forget about the following challenges on my blog for a chance to win (deadlines in brackets):
It's a Sketchy Challenge (Oct 31/12)
Leave Your Legacy (Nov 30/12)

Flashback Fridays: Oct 5

Found in the archives, I realized that this was my intention in 2007... But didn't really happen.  Life gets so busy that I thought this would be a good reminder to document our family life more often....

originally blogged Oct 3, 2007:

Back on Track!

I miss my blogging, because it acted as a sort of journal for me - a record of our day-to-day lives.

And then came the business.

And baseball.

And soccer.

And before we knew it, we were experiencing milestone birthdays. And Gr. 3. And takeovers at work.

And life began to spin out of control! Or at least my grasp on the things that had once been important to me.

Running your own business takes more courage that one sometimes has. And it almost ALWAYS takes more money! :D

But the rewards of working from home, being able to spend the days with my daughter, being there when Connor gets off the bus and has a snack while we chat about his day... those are priceless and worth every sacrifice that one has to make.

And so, as I've come to realize that I am NOT going to figure out how to get 48 hours out of a day, I have begun to schedule. And delegate. And prioritize. And recording our family's history is high on the list.

And so here I am. Promising myself that I will set aside 15 minutes every couple of days to jot a few notes about our days. Funny things the kids say that I won't remember in 2 weeks, let alone 10 years. Hurdles we overcome. Storms we weather. Together.

I may not always have photos. Sadly, I've taken less photos in the last 6 months than ever before. So that's another challenge to overcome.

But maybe tomorrow.



Cheers,

P/S:  Don't forget about the following challenges on my blog for a chance to win (deadlines in brackets):
It's a Sketchy Challenge (Oct 31/12)
Leave Your Legacy (Nov 30/12)

Inventory Day!!

[source]

Round 2, that is! :)

This is my second inventory this year, at another one of my stores.  This year, I am feeling much more confident about it.  Last year, due to lack of coverage at my stores while I was off on summer vacation, coupled with the additional strain of another store, a rigorous swim practice schedule and two new trainees to train, I was behind in my work and not confident that everything that was supposed to be done was actually being done.

This year, however, my stores are in great shape.  Working only two stores this summer is partially to thank, but with not having to leave early every day to get Connor to swim practice, I'm able to stay until 4-4:30pm and get things in order for the next time I'm in.

I'm especially excited about this inventory, because once it's done and sent off by courier to head office, I'm heading to my last store to clean off my desk and then I'm on vacation, baby!!

Amanda flies in Monday night, with a surprise for my kids - wonder what it is?! ;)  She's staying until the 16th so we'll have a nice long visit!!  Miss my bestie from the Westie!!

We'll be meeting up with Holly, Sharon, Leanne and Kim for the ScrapFest crop - can't wait to get my scrap on!  Hopefully I'll have lots of inspiring projects to share with you!

Cheers,

P/S:  Don't forget about the following challenges on my blog for a chance to win (deadlines in brackets):
It's a Sketchy Challenge (Oct 31/12)
Leave Your Legacy (Nov 30/12)

Scrapbook Studio Tour: Part IV

Welcome back to the Studio 360 Tour!  I'm going to continue on sharing the details of my newly renovated scrapbook studio.

If you've missed it, you can view Part I, Part II and Part III on my Studio page.  Click the images to view in larger format.

So let's continue on along the south wall:

The largest piece of furniture in the room (and the one most stuffed!) is the 5x5 Expedit bookcase.  This bookcase holds the bulk of my cardstock and paper, along with embellishments.



The first cubby holds a glass vase (from flowers received from Gary on our wedding day) with random feathers, a glass wire bale jar (Yankee candle repurposed) billed with miscellaneous metal embellishments, another galvanized bucket (Target), this one filled with wooden pieces, a decorated box with Sharpies and assorted markers and an acrylic box with trinket pins.  The next cubby holds my LOM storage albums (behind the altered clipboard), a file folder with ideas and some quote books.

Next, I have a glass jar (Walmart) filled with all of my flowers - I forced myself to limit them to this jar - along with a sweet 4x4 canvas that I created.  The next cubby holds a black canvas bin with products for my Canadian Scrapbooker projects and the green metal bin holds extra adhesive.  The final section in this row holds my collection of vintage books and those to tear up for projects.

The bulk of my open stock paper (i.e. not kit- or DT-related) is housed on 12x12 acrylic paper trays.  I had six that I purchased from a LSS that was going out of business, but wanted more.  A quick search of Kijiji and I found a local woman who had 30 trays available!  My cardstock is sorted by colour, with neutrals (white, black, Super Stock) on the 6 trays in the first cubby, and the rest in rainbow order, in the next 12 acrylic paper trays.  I keep my current CS project supplies on the next six trays and my Cocoa Daisy kits in the last six.

I also store all of my glitters, Stickles and glitter sprays in a canvas bin.  Two more galvanized buckets hold my sanding and other scrapbooking tools.

A red leather bin holds all of my EK Success punches and any others that do not fit on my wall.  I also keep my Martha Stewart scoring board, glass and self-healing cutting boards in this cubby.

I have an entire cubby just for my Spectrum Noir markers! :)  Other journaling markers are stored in a plastic bin from the Dollar Store.  The last two cubbies holds 8 Cropper Hopper paper holders, filled with old Just Cre8 kits, die cuts papers and cardstock, and patterned papers, sorted by manufacturer.

The next row is filled with Kassett boxes from Ikea.  These four are filled with myStamp Box stamps, stamping supplies, tags and journaling blocks.

The next 8 boxes are colour coded and hold all of my embellishments.  I found that when I was scrapping, I always searched for products by colour and this made the most sense to me!  The last two cubbies hold magazine holders and some photo boxes.

The final row is filled with large Kassett boxes which contain canvasses, card bases/envelopes and card kits, mini albums and items waiting to be altered!

Next week, I'll share the final wall and my custom built workdesk!  (ETA:  Click here for Part V)

Cheers,

P/S:  Don't forget about the following challenges on my blog for a chance to win (deadlines in brackets):
It's a Sketchy Challenge (Oct 31/12)
Leave Your Legacy (Nov 30/12)

Tuesdays With Our Team - Oct 2

Note: the Studio 360 Tour of my scrapbook studio will continue tomorrow...

Today is my turn at bat on the Canadian Scrapbooker blog and I featured this simple little mini album, Thankful, that I created for our family Thanksgiving dinner this weekend:

Supplies used:  Bazzill and Recollections cardstock; KaiserCraft patterned papers and stickers; Spellbinders, Cheery Lynn and Heartfelt Creations dies; Martha Stewart and Marvy Uchida punches; Doodlebug Designs alpha stickers; Stampin' Up! stamp (grateful); Ranger Distress Ink; Glue Dots; miscellaneous buttons, ribbons and twine.

The covers are created from box board from our Quaker Oats oatmeal box, covered with kraft cardstock and patterned papers.  The pages are kraft cardstock, simply embellished with patterned
papers, stickers or fussy-cut paper elements, a 3x3 photo mat and stamped flags.  The journaling blogs were adapted from a download found on the internet (original source unknown).

Here are the decorated pages, awaiting photos and journaling.  They are pretty plain with minimal embellishments, but I didn't want the mini album to be too bulky.  Also, everyone will be given a page to record their thankful thoughts so I didn't want them to get damaged in the process.  Instagrams of the items will be printed for the 3x3 mat and the facing page will include a 4x6 portrait of the person.

Cheers,

P/S:  Don't forget about the following challenges on my blog for a chance to win (deadlines in brackets):
It's a Sketchy Challenge (Oct 31/12)
Leave Your Legacy (Nov 30/12)