Saturday 21 April 2012

NAVCAN retreat and other fun!


Last weekend Sarah and I packed up my car (and was it ever full) and then we drove down to meet up with crazy other women to scrap for the weekend! Not only the lovely Diane, Natalie and Nathalie, but other amazing women we befriended.

I made it in one piece and without any anxiety. YAY! Must be Sarah’s calming effect on me (yeah right).  Once there we set up and went straight to work!

The other ladies made amazing things- I ran out of steam and enjoyed the hockey game- (GO SENS GO!). I do have a few things I can present.




I used a simple cardstock – with black ribbon and bling. I know- really simple. But sometimes less is more. I like this layout even though it is quite simple.


My next 2 were all about my girls. Sarah and Jenn and Amelia (and my hubby in there too but really- we all know it’s all about the bride and the girls).  The 1st picture is rather shaky- I blame the camera and not the picture taker... Used black Cardstock- and using the same papers from Bo Bunny and Echo Park.  Using up some bling and flowers. On the second one pink cardstock- with paper accents. Made the flower with ribbon and a gluber – need more practice but I like it. The bling accents and pins are Close to my Heart, and I have also used PearlPen – in white and in silver.

This cutest picture of Sam and Amelia. I wanted to make it pretty, but not too girly since Sam was in there.  So I added the polka dots, with a tiny flirt of the ribbon. And added the black flowers to touch the little cuteness of the tux.
I also made the flower at the top left corner- and added some bling in the middle. In the transport in the album from NAVCAN to home caused the flower to become squished. The only problems with lovely 3D accents- they are easily damaged.
I did make more flowers when I was away but have not finished the layout they belong on.
I have sanded the edges of all my pictures in this album- as opposed to use a matting them with cardstock.  I enjoy the look it gives them.
Now that being said- I am running out of ideas of what to do with black, white and pink. I changed back to my honeymoon where I can use all sorts of colours, and accents.  As much as I love my wedding pictures, I need a bit of a break. I have made one page layout last weekend, and I’m looking forward to showing you more!
Till next time happy scrapping and GO SENS GO!

Thursday 12 April 2012

My 1st mini!

Diane and I went on a little road trip and visited Tina’s store. There I found a mini that instantly caught my fancy.  I was going to make one for my hubby to bring to work, instead of one wedding picture of us a few- displayed with creative flair that would make any boy hide it in his drawer instead of displaying it for all his co workers to see.  He said his females co workers thought it was really cool- but that the guys were like- hunh? Yeah... I’m ok with that. Scrapbooking is really wasted on most men, but I have long accepted that.


Then Diane and I talked about how minis are lovely little works that we are so proud of but that we always end up giving away.  This being my 1st one and giving it away as a gift I see how easy it would be to make these for others and not for ourselves.  I mean they are so cute and easy and quick- and I’m already so behind on all my other scrapbooking pages- I don’t have time to make one for me. Do I?  

But the mini I made: I did it while myself and  some of the Divas (Natalie, Sarah and Diane, who needs her blog so I can link her too,Nathalie was unable to make it ) were at Auntie Em's’s for a mini crop. (We took over the store really).

 I started by picking my pictures.

Then I glued them down and sanded then so that I would not have too many obvious edges sticking out.  Even with my scalpel and steady hand I still had little fly aways.  I took my black distress ink and inked the entire edges: the mini was made of uncoloured chipboard.

I put black cardstock on the cover and back- (to make it less girly?). I used embossing powder and stamped on the cover. Still need more practice!  But my hubby just thinks I was going for that distresses letters almost cut off look. So yes of course I did!!


 Then I added a puffed up sticker someone had given me and stuck pretty bling pins I got from Close to My Heart.  For the very top at the spine I used a folded over ribbon and added a chain in the fold and hung a charm off it.  I figured why not try it. I must admit I am not opposed to this look!


Then I added small accents to the pictures:





And at the end added a little bling.  We giggled when we realised in our giddy all day scrapping high- and you know what I’m talking about it you scrap- that it looked like a bum- or a naked guy picking up something... just sayin’!!!  I blame Diane for that!


That is my little mini. J
Now- I am getting ready for an all weekend scrapping retreat- a little reward ( and test) for myself for all this hard work and effort I’ve been putting into leaving the house.  The thought of leaving for this long seems to provoke some anxiety in me still. Yesterday I was able to see the head fixing dude, and he gave me exercises to try and help and decrease that so I can leave and enjoy myself. How can I not enjoy myself?  I’ll be spooning it up with Sarah at night, and scrapping all day!  I can do this! This should be all reward- but alas seems to be an exercise with a lovely prize at the end!! 

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Diane needs a blog!


Yes- you may wonder why I stole Sarah’s blog idea- in reality we talked about this (and she stole mine mwahahaha!). We are hoping that peer pressure will make Diane finally post something in her blog!

I have fabulous talented friends- but Diane is the kind of person who sees something and says- why buy that when I can make it? And does she ever and doesn’t it ever look fab!? She is working on this fabulous folder album. It looks great. I’m jealous.

She also finds and passes on the best ways to organise, speed up or just make scrapbooking a better faster way.  She’s showed me things that I may have seen online but would never had thought to apply until I saw what she had done.

Stuck on an idea? She’s a great source of inspiration, and then she just shrugs off any praise you try to give her, as if it was all in a day’s work. She’s a scrapbook fairy I swear!

I was lucky enough to spend a day with her. I was able to do a layout while with her and she helped me with some ideas that I would not have thought of. Small bling details that I would have just wasted away.  

Here’s the page I did with her:


Think it would look as good without her?! Nuh-hun!
So this is my quickie entry on how Diane is awesome and should have a blog. It’s such a great idea that other people are blogging about it too! Just one of us talking about it may be crazy talk, but the entire lot of us? Listen up you crazy scrapper that we all love- get blogging and show the world what we have the privilege to see! Let other bask in your awesomeness!

Friday 6 April 2012

Behind on the times


Greetings! It’s been so long since I’ve posted. So many things happened! And I had wanted to post but was always distracted by a shiny! (Like I should be doing the dishes at this moment but blog!!!! Shhhh- don’t tell my hubby)

Well, I have purchased a pattern and fabric for my dress for my final project. I’ll go over the pattern w my mum (I want to make sure I don’t miss anything- the fabric is a jersey/poly blend and I’ve never worked with that before).  Can’t wait to get it done and show you the final result! Speaking of clothes- I watched the finale of project runway all-stars. Happy with who won- that being said I LOVED that wedding dress Austin Scarlet made! Makes me want to get married again! And again! Sooo many dresses- so little money lol

I’ve also started knitting again- nothing big, just a very cute very easy tuque.  I’ll post the finished product. But at the moment I’m in the black hole of knitting. If you knit you know what I mean- for you who don’t the black hole of knitting is when you are almost done a part- knit to about 17cm- and then you are stuck at 16cm for an entire hour of knitting. It’s ridiculous. I wonder where all my rows go- because I am quite positive I can push out more than a cm in an hour...

Scrapping! Well- my friend Jill came over and she did a picture layout for a friend- their dog passed away. And then did the cutest card. She has a natural talent- as Natalie says- born to be awesome.  I’m just jealous. Wish I could be like that! That being said- when you get back into it- (from when she was a teenager) and you’re surrounded with awesome people like us! (we are so modest I know) it’s easier to see the possibilities and grow vs. the picture, sticker, journal box- next! format I started off with.

Here are the projects she did while here:


I had made a lovely little baptism card that I gave to my friend AndrĂ©anne- but apparently I forgot to take a picture. I was quite proud of it too! Aww well.  But I made another card: One for my lovely hubby’s birthday. I’ll be honest- a lot easier to make girlie cards with flowers and ribbons than one for a grown man.  It’s just a little more challenging. I’m ‘happy’ with it as it has a few 1st time methods on it.

I used embossing powder.  I had previously only used it once before when I “borrowed" Sarah's  stuff at a crop a few months ago.  So I’m learning, I just need more practice. Then I used buttons- he did like those  so I guess I did ok... folded up some cardstock to add details in orange and used the close to  my heart birthday stamps.

Here’s the finished product:



And as for my leaving the house- I went and over did it I think haha! Had a little break down but getting better. I’ve now snapped and said I don’t want to be like this anymore. A good think my pro health people say.  Next weekend will be the biggest test of them all: leaving all weekend for a crop retreat. That should be interesting. And if that goes well we are trying to get me back to work at the end of the month.  I went to my work office yesterday- by myself. Had to remind myself the entire time that I didn’t need to panic, and I was still feeling my heart racing and know fully well that I could have gone into full anxiety attack if I didn’t stop myself. This is so annoying. Not that I want to be normal- because really that’s boring- I’d rather enjoy not being held hostage by unreasonable fears. But I did it- went- and then Jenn had given me some cheese cake to enjoy once I got home as a reward. YAY! (I also needed a nap as it entirely wiped me out).



I have the lovely day I spent at Auntie Em's Scrapbooking to talk about but I’ll post that at a later date. I was actually productive that day! So I’ll have projects to show hehe!

Happy Friday! J