Oh, Christmas Tree!

First of all, I apologize for the quality of this picture. It looks a little like a mug shot. That being said, I know I COULD retake the photo, upload it, and start this again, but it's 10:30 pm, I have to be at work at 7 am tomorrow, and if I don't write this blog now, it's not going to happen for another few days. So here is my picture.

This is one of my table decorations for Christmas. It is actually a box, filled with candy. I'm sorry you can't see the boxiness (I think I may have just made up another word!) of it, but mug shots are not renowned for their depth of field. I downloaded the pattern for my Silhouette, and have made 6 of these little trees.

I was planning on using up some of my Christmas paper from last year, but soon realized that I didn't have enough of any one pattern, so had to go out and purchase more paper, and also the cute little poinsettias. I already had the leaves and twine, and I just punched out the mini tags, and inked them.
Everything is hot glued in place.

It was quite a decision as to what to put in the boxes, originally I thought I might put in chocolate, but I have been informed that 2 of my guests don't care for chocolate. (I know, I couldn't believe it either!) So I have settled for some hard candies, which they can throw in their purse or glove compartment in the car in case they are ever stranded or hungry when out on a shopping trip.

Until next time.....

December Daily...

Last year I partook (not sure if that's a word, but I'm using it) in the December Daily challenge seen on so many blogs. I thought I would try again this year, and then realized it had already started, and I was BEHIND before I even began.

So then I thought I'd do a "December Weekly", but now here it is , the 8th already, and I haven't done a thing.

Well, that's not exactly true. I have been working on some Christmas presents, and that has taken a lot more time than I expected. I'd like to tell you what I'm working on, or include a photo or two, but with my luck, one of the recipients would suddenly decide to check out my blog, and the surprise would be ruined.

Who am I kidding? I don't think my kids even know I have this blog. I find my children don't always pay a lot of attention to what I'm doing, which is sometimes a good thing. I can work on projects for them while they are in the house, and they don't even realize what I'm up to.

Anyway, about the December Daily, or Weekly, I guess that's not going to happen this year. Maybe next year. For this year, I'll just cruise the blogs, and ooh and ahh, and get ideas for December 2012.

And I promise, as soon as it's safe to do so, I'll post some pictures of my Christmas Creations.

Until next time....

We Have Pictures!

I am getting accustomed to Windows 7, have managed to download my photo software, and can now put pictures on my blog. (I do, however keep getting a message about "compatibility issues", which I ignore and hope will resolve on its own).

Anyway, I made this card today for a friend, it's her birthday, and I woke up thinking, "Oh no, I forgot to make a card!"

"No problem," said my optimistic side, "you have lots of paper and stuff to make a great card. Shouldn't even take you that long."

And it was true, I have lots of nice paper and I am capable of thinking up a card design. So I put this together, and then looked at the clock, and realized close to 2 hours had passed.

TWO HOURS? To make a card? There is a certain magazine I like to look at, that has a section called "Take Ten", and they give you card ideas that take about 10 minutes to make. Obviously, I should have looked there first.

Anyway, if you want to save yourself some time and make this card, I used a Making Memories card base (it's really old, not sure if they even make them anymore), Crafty Secrets image, and Cosmo Cricket paper. There's a bit of lace and ribbon, and a brad in the middle of the flower on the flap. You can't really see it, but I put Stickles (black) in the middle of the flower as well.

Probably, if I had to make this card again, it would only take 15 or 20 minutes. Not quite ready for "Take Ten", but getting there!

Until next time...

What was that Crash?

Unfortunately, that crash you didn't hear was my computer. Yes, after 5 years of somewhat faithful service, the computer hard drive packed it in. I knew as soon as I saw the BLACK SCREEN with the words "Insert reboot disk" and some other technical jargon that I didn't understand, that something very bad was happening to my electronic friend.

Luckily, I had made a back up of my files in September, so there were only a few things lost in the computer's brain. We did try to retrieve the data, but alas the drive was totally cooked and nothing could be saved. (Let this be a lesson to one and all - back up your computer!)

We had to buy a new computer, and that involved moreTECHNICAL TALK that mostly went over my head. We paid the nice young man at the store to set up the computer for us, so we only had to plug in the computer once we got home with it. Of course, what we weren't thinking about was the new operating system, Windows 7 (which, I am told, is going to be out of date in about 30 seconds). I'm not sure how it works, or where things are hidden, and I feel rather impatient about having to learn a new system. What was wrong with my old XP?

So there are no photos with this post, because there are none on this computer, and I don't know how to put any on it yet. I have to introduce my camera to the computer, and I'm not sure if they'll get along or not. I've not had any time to make anything pretty out of paper either, as I have been busy dealing with my computer woes.

Okay, that's not entirely true. I got a 2012 Basic Grey Calendar, and actually finished January. I didn't do any extra embellishing, I keep a chant going in my head when I am tempted to add some ribbon or glitter to it... "Get it done! Get it done!"

Until next time,

New Baby Card

We are invited to a baby shower this weekend. (Notice the "we". It seems now that men are included in these once "ladies only" parties. Not that I mind. I just wonder how the men are coping.)

I realized that I either had to make or buy a card. And since I have an abundance of PAPER, I thought it had better the latter. Besides, it gives me an excuse to go and buy more paper to replenish my dwindling stash. (Insert a "wink" here.)

It didn't take long to find this paper, once again, Graphic 45. This is the Springtime line, and it has these very cute post card sized pictures, one of which I cut out and pasted in place. A bit of trim and fussy-cutting of flowers and microscopic butterflies and I was done. (Of course, I have neglected to tell you about the time spent agonizing over card stock colour, flower placement, and the exact wording of the inside sentiment. )

I really like this card. I'm glad I have a picture of it, because I'm getting separation anxiety already. At least I know it's going to a good home, where it will be appreciated. I'm a bit funny that way, I don't like giving handmade cards to people that don't understand the BS&T (blood, sweat and tears) that go into them. I hate the thought of my creations (not to mention the EXPENSIVE embellishments that often go on them!) going into the recycling bin.

So if you get a card from me, I know you're going to keep it for a while, or at the very least, take off that embellishment and re-use it on a card back to me!

Until next time....

Hawaii Journal

I thought I should post a picture of my Hawaii Journal, I would like to show you the inside as well, but there is not much to see except my scrawl.

The paper is Graphic 45 (my favourite!), the Transatlantique line. I bound it use Zutter's Bind-it-All. And now, a note about that. Well, I had bought these nice thick covers (also from Zutter), and wouldn't you know it, they don't fit in the Bind-it-All (darn-it-all!) machine. Turns out they fit in the NEW model of the Bind-it-All, and I have the OLD model. So I had to take the paper off the covers, punch everything separately, and glue it back together.

I had bought the biggest binding coils that Zutter makes, but they are still not big enough for the covers and my pages. I may have to remove some of the pages so it closes properly.

NOTE TO SELF: Next time I make covers, they are going to be made from nice thin cereal boxes.

The other thing I was going to do, was collect some sand from the beach at Waikiki, I even took along one of those cute little glass containers that Tim Holtz makes. I wondered about taking sand across the border, and if there was some law against it. But it didn't matter in the end, because I forget to collect the sand.

I did remember to go to the post office to get a stamp, but since Hawaii is part of the USA, they didn't have any stamps that looked "Hawaiian". So I ended up getting a stamp with a ship on it, that had visited Hawaii at one time. Close enough.

Well, I have to go now. My precious husband is home, and we have a date to go to the gym. We're still working on losing the extra pounds we gained on the cruise ship. I blame the cookies!

Until next time....

Aloha!

We are now home from our vacation, and two guesses where we were, I cannot believe how fast time passes when you are enjoying yourself!

Needless to say, there has not been a whole lot of paper crafting going on around here. I did make a lovely travel journal, which I wrote in diligently every night on our trip (even if it was 1 o'clock in the morning!). I took some scissors and adhesives, and added little bits and pieces as I went, but I think the journal is too structured, and I need to add my photos before I go too crazy with pasting in the ticket stubs and memorabelia I collected.

We were on a cruise to Hawaii (there's your answer!), and I was thrilled to discover they had scrapbooking classes on board. They even gave us free kits! Naturally I attended as many as I could.

Once in Hawaii, I was hoping to find a scrapbooking store or two, but I think we were in the touristy areas, and I couldn't find any. I had the address of one that was within walking distance to our hotel in Waikiki, but unfortunately they had closed down. There were quite a few quilting stores, however, and lots of galleries with paintings and sculpture, so I was able to get my "art fix" that way.

And now, back to reality (and work). I am hoping to be a good girl and get some of my journals completed. I have THREE waiting for me to finish them!

Until next time.....

A Sad Note

I have some very sad news. My cat, Gracie disappeared about 2 weeks ago, and we are fearing the worst.

We have looked and looked for her, and put ads in the newspaper, and flyers around the neighbourhood, and checked with vets and animal shelters, and she is just not anywhere. I miss her terribly.

I'll admit, she could be a pest. Like last Christmas, when I couldn't put up my Christmas village on the mantle, because she kept jumping up there, and I was afraid she'd knock everything over and onto the fireplace. Or how I'd put on clean black slacks, and she'd insist on sitting on me, and then I'd have her fur all over me. Or how she'd sit in front of the computer, so I couldn't see the screen. Or how I'd wake in the night, with no pillow, because she was laying on it.

But how I miss that sweet face, and the little meows. When she came inside, she would insist on being petted and loved, even before going to her food. I miss her sitting with me watching TV. I miss her laying in my scrapbooking room, advising me on colour choice and ribbon selection (Once she ate some ribbon. I had to monitor her poo for about a week to make sure it came out the other end. I never did find it. Of course, I wasn't looking that hard.) I'm going to miss her for a long time, in a lot of ways.

Gracie, you are loved and missed.

Detour - eReader!

Once again, I have gone off on another wild tangent, this one into the land of eReades. It's a long story, one that began last summer.

I have been plotting and planning on getting an eReader since last summer, but just kept putting it off. Finally decided to take the plunge and JUST BUY ONE. Of course, for me there is no "just buy one", it takes days and days of on-line and in-store research, and asking EVERYONE if they have an eReader, and how do they like it, and what-do-you-think-I-should-buy?

Originally thought I would get a Kindle, but being in Canada kind of adds to the expense (read: duty, taxes, shipping, etc. etc.) When I saw the cute (and so very pink) Sony, I couldn't resist, and so now that's what I have. (Plus, I can actually borrow books digitally from the library! Kan't do that with a Kindle in Kanada!) (NOTE: All those K's were on purpose. I do know how to spell "can't" and "Canada").

And my opinion? Well, if you want something you just take out of the box, turn on and start reading, the Sony is not for you (unless you really enjoy reading instructions. The instructions are 131 digital pages long). Fortunately, I do have some idea about computers, so syncing to my computer, setting up accounts with Sony, Adobe and my public library wasn't terribly hard, just time consuming. I will admit it took me some time to figure out how to get the book I borrowed from the library on to the eReader.

And if anyone has an eReader, I'd love to hear what kind you have, and what you think of it.

Until next time....

Detour - Mexico!

This last weekend I went on a little retreat with a friend of mine. The PLAN was to go to our cabin, and work (I mean, Play!) on my Caribbean album. It's been slow going, and I have been having some issues with placement of pictures, embellishments, words.....etc. etc.

Anyway, after packing half my scrapbooking room for a 2 day jaunt into the woods, I realized that I had far too much stuff to carry, and no clear plan on what I was going to do. So I thought, why not work on your Mexico album? It's finished, except for putting in the photos! This will be easy! How many decisions can there be?!

So the rule was, I was going to use only ONE LINE of paper, that being Graphic 45 "Boardwalk", plus cardstock. That was easy to pack. And photos. Look, they are all together in an envelope! Scissors, glue, and a little ribbon. The embellishments were going to be cut out of the Boardwalk paper. I fancied that I might even get the album finished over the weekend!

The album is not finished.

Some of the photos were missing from the envelope. The fussy cutting and deciding of placement of the embellishments took longer than anticipated. There was food to eat, and sleep to catch up on. And magazines to read!

No, the album is not finished. But I did get 4 photo pages done. Shown here is the cover, one of day title pages (There's a funny story there. I made up this album before our trip, knowing what our itineray on the cruise would be, and what ports we would be in.

Then along came Tropical Storm Georgette, and the intinerary went out the window. Since I glued everything down so securely, I can't change any of the headings!) and 2 of the photo pages. I figure, a few more retreats, and I may just get this thing done!

Until next time...

A Different Kind of Stamp

I had a grand idea for my album, and that was to get POSTAGE STAMPS from each of the ports we visited on our Caribbean trip. I love stamps, both the inking kind and the postage variety.

Our first port was Nassau, and we were walking about and stumbled upon a post office. I bought these three stamps, which I thought was a pretty reasonably priced souvenir.

The next 2 ports, St. Thomas and St. Martin, were another story. We were on excursions that whisked us from the ship to our island destination, and there was no time for searching for a post office. So I didn't get stamps from those countries. (Hmm, maybe I'll just have to go back...)

On another note, I was at a Copics class last night, and wouldn't you know I forgot my glasses. The result was my colouring was way OUTSIDE THE LINES. My precious husband is away this weekend, so I have lots of time to find my glasses, and try, try again. I may need to go back to Kindergarten to get a colouring refresher on staying inside the lines!

Until next time (unless this business about the Rapture is true!)....

How does a Week Pass so Quickly?

We are back from our Caribbean holiday, and now that I am recovered from the jet lag, time change, rich food, lack of sleep, etc. etc, I am ready to take on the task of completing my Caribbean album!

Step one was finishing my journalling. I had hoped to journal every day, and I almost did it, but those late nights on the last 2 nights were IMPOSSIBLE, so I ended up journalling those days once I was home.

The next thing was to order my pictures. We took about 450 pictures, which I thought was quite a few, but I've had peope tell me, "That's nothing! I took over 1000 on our trip!" Isn't the digital age great? Remember the days of bringing back rolls of film, having the pictures developed, only to find out you'd left the lens cap on, or some similar disaster? There are some drawbacks about so many pictures, and that is having to DECIDE which to print. I whittled it down to 195 pictures, to which my precious husband said, "What are you going to do with all those?"

So now back to REALITY. Besides now having to go back to work, resume cooking and housekeeping duties, I have some decisions to make on the album, and probably some alterations. I think I'm going to work from back to front, since I can't think of how to arrange the first pages.

Until next time... which hopefully will be soon than the last post!

Ah- Ha! v.s. Uh-oh!

Have you ever had one of those "Ah-ha!" moments, where things make sense, or you've figured out how to do something - it's usually a positive thing.

Or how about an "Uh-oh!" moment, when you suddenly realize things are not going according to plan, or you've made some blunder that's going to be tough to fix? Well, I had one of those "uh-oh" moments this week with my Caribbean gatefold album.

I was at an all day crop last weekend, and decided to work on the inner pages - "Stop stalling," I told myself, "and just get them done!" I think I may have mentioned that little voice before, and how it's never a good idea to listen to it urging me on to "just" do something. Anyway, I listened to myself, and glued some Bo Bunny paper onto the back of the Websters Pages (sounds crazy I know, but I was trying to tone down the loud patterning on the back of the Websters paper). It looked great. Then, once home, I realized my great faux pas. I had cut the Websters Pages the same size as the back cover. "So?" you ask. Well, I reply, this means the pages won't close as they are going to bump into the wire binding I plan to hold it all together! Now I have to trim off 3/8 " off each page, which is no big deal, except I have to make some decisions about which side to trim.... and you know how I am about decisions. Until I figure out what to do...

Covers Complete!

After much arranging, re-arranging and agonizing, the cover of my gatefold album is complete. Now I just have to do all those inside pages! I'm also going to change that stamp on the post card. I plan to buy stamps on our trip, and use those on the post card. More about that in a future post!

I was playing around with my Tattered Angels Glimmer Chips and Glimmer Glass, and the little fish was the result. I painted the chip part with Luminere Paint, and then spread glossy accents over top, and popped on a matching Glimmer Glass piece. Annoyingly, not all the chips have matching glass pieces.

I also tried some other types of paints, and learned that thicker paint is not better, it makes the little designs in the chips disappear. And less is more when you work with these, if the chips get too wet the paper on the surface of them starts to "pill" and rub off. Painting on Glimmer Mist seems to work better than spraying (for me anyway, those darn sprayers clog), and Distress Inks lightly brushed over the tops work to pick up the ridges on the chips and so make the pattern on them stand out.

And now, its on to the inner pages! Until I have some to show you, ta-ta!

I'll be out of my Room for Another Week

Yes, it's true, I won't be able to do too much in my scrapbooking room for another week. We thought Emily's new bed would be here Saturday, but it's going to be next week now.

Adding to my CONFUSION over my gatefold album, which I thought was coming along nicely, is the fact that my dear friend Debbie went shopping yesterday, and came across a sale. This sale was for Tattered Angels, and many of the Glimmer Chips, Glimmer Glass, screens and stamps were at ridiculous prices. She bought me some that will go perfectly with my album. This means that I must rethink some of the plans that I had, as I now have some wonderful new things to play with and add in!

I have mentioned that I often go to YouTube for ideas on how to use products, and I must say there are not a lot to do with Tattered Angels, except for the usual spray, spray, mist, mist. I think I may have to just play with some of this stuff and come up with my own ideas. I'm thinking inking some of these things with Distress Inks, or Alcohol inks, especially the Glimmer Glass.

The little houses in the picture were made about 7 years ago, and are made from scraps of wood from my darling husband's workshop. I guess they are just simple folk-art, but I really like them. Plus they were fun to make. That's the thing, isn't it? Art should be fun.

Until next time....

A Birthday Card for my Daughter

Yesterday was my daughter Emily's birthday, so of course I had to make her a card! The bunny stamp is by Stampavie, and the grass stamp is by Art Impressions, inked with distress ink (I forget the green I used). The paper is Bo Bunny (how appropriate!), and the trims are things I had hanging around.

UPDATE: My scrapbooking room is still full of Emily's furniture. Her room is painted, and we have now cleaned the carpets, so we are now waiting on the new bed and mattress. The only person (and I use the term loosely) happy with the situation is William the cat, who rather enjoys being able to get into places where I can't reach him. As I result of these conditions, I am not overly inspired to work on my Caribbean album, because I can't find anything, or get to my supplies.

Maybe next week...

No Photo, just an Excuse

The last few days I have not been doing anything creative. But my daughter has. She is repainting her room, in the colours of PURPLE (and I mean purple, not white with a purple tint) and SPRING GREEN. It is very intense, but she really likes it, and that is what is important. (I should probably add here that the colours prior to these were blue, green, pink and orange, arranged in an interesting strip pattern. This girl is not afraid of colour.) As a result, all of her stuff had to find a place to go, and that place is my scrapbooking room. So there is only a little room to squeeze around the perimeter of the room, and I am unable to get at my papers and inks. And this is my EXCUSE for not getting any work done on my gatefold album. I bought another stamp last week, but I haven't tried it out yet. Well, maybe next week... Until then...

Another Birthday Card - I'm on a Roll!

I went out shopping for some plain paper for my Caribbean project (more on that in a minute,) and came home with this cute stamp from Magenta. It's coloured with Copics (yup, still learning) and cut out and matted using Spellbinders dies. The light blue paper has been in my stash for YEARS. I added spots of Glossy Accents on some of the bubble trails.

Now about that Caribbean gatefold album. I've been PROCRASTINATING AGAIN, looking at my paper, and hemming and hawing about actually putting the pages together. Finally yesterday I said to myself, "Get on with it!" So I covered the front and back chipboard covers with my turquoise pindot paper, forgetting one little detail. The magnetic closure. (The one I spent so much time with, trying to decide just how and where to place it).

Now I must rethink the closure thing. And the next time that little voice in my head tries to hurry me along, I'm going to tell it to take a chill pill!

Until next time...

My Husband's Birthday Card

I've had this card made for a few days, but couldn't post it until today, as it is for my darling husband.

It is made with Graphic 45's "A Proper Gentleman" paper, with a swirl stamp from Stampington and Company. The little "Let's Celebrate" tag is a Tim Holtz grunge paper label, that I painted and then stamped.

Happy Birthday, my dear!

I Survived the Cutting of the Paper!

After a week of cutting, micro-deciding and one or trips to the scrapbooking store to get yet ANOTHER COLOUR or two of Bo Bunny paper, here are the papers that are going to be in the Caribbean gatefold album.

This is what the front of the album will look like. Well, not exactly this colour. It's going to be a turquois microdot, and the paper will be mounted on thin chipboard. Also, I hope to actually have the flowers and other embellishments glued on.

The next picture gives you an idea of how the book will open. The two 6"x9" microdot pages will open each side, revealing the large (9x12") main page of Webster's pages. The journalling will be attached to the back of the micodot. When you turn the large page, there is going to be a microdot page attached to the back to give it stability, and tone down some of the Webster's pages. Love the fronts, but I gotta tell you, some of the back pages are kind of LOUD. I thought about having the large pages glued onto chipboard, but I think that will make the album too thick. The large pages will open alternating from the right and left sides of the book.

I am sure this is going to take some tweaking. I may need to trim some of the pages, so they close properly once I bind it. My next task is going to be to glue the Bo Bunny microdot to the backs of the big pages. But first, I think I may need to go out and buy some more glue sticks....

Until next time....

Caribbean, Here I Come!

I am very happy to report that my Revelstoke album is now COMPLETE, and I am ready to move on to my NEXT PROJECT, which is going to be a travel journal for an upcoming trip to the Caribbean.

Above are the papers and embelishments I have SO FAR, no doubt I will feel a need to go shopping and add to my collection. I neglected to add my container of extremely brightly coloured flowers, my vintage side shudders each time I look at them, perhaps that's the side of me that was in charge when I took the photo.

Anyway, the plan for this album is for it to be a GATEFOLD journal. I'm going to take my journalling blocks on the trip with me, and then add them when I get home. You can see I have already cut, inked and stamped them. That took quite a long time, as I couldn't make up my mind about the ink colours. Who knew there could be so many ink colours?!?

The paper is Bo Bunny and Webster's Pages. I have quite a bit of Webster's Pages, but have yet to actually make anything. Mostly I just like to take it out and look at it. The Glimmer Glass (which I have never used before, and there is a shocking lack of info about things you can do with it, so I may actually have to use my imagination, rather than that of the creative folks I find on YouTube) and stamp are by Tattered Angels. The closures I plan to use are by Basic Grey, and the little button things are something I found in a fabric store about a year ago.

My next step is going to be cutting the pretty paper up. That will be hard. I'll let you know how it goes.

Until then.....

My Dad

It has been some time since I posted on this blog, and I wish I could say that I have been hard at work creating some really beautiful things, but unfortunately the truth is I've just been hard at work. And I mean real work, the stuff where I actually get paid to perform tasks I'd rather not.

Anyway, this is the last portrait page in my Revelstoke book, meaning I am ALMOST FINISHED. The photo is of my father, Ken, in his army uniform. I don't know the date, but he looks pretty young, so I'm guessing he's about 19 years old here. He joined up in 1939, not long after the war started. He never did go overseas, for which I know my mother was thankful for.

I have to confess that this page is not quite finished, I realized as I was uploading the pictures that I had forgotten to add the rub-on letters for his name. Guess I'll be doing that when I finish this post. Think I'll add a little swirl stamp as well.

Well my NEXT PROJECT is looming on the horizon (actually, it's sitting out on the bed in my scrapbooking room). I'm going to make another travel journal for an upcoming trip. The colours are going to be tropical (I'll have to control myself not to distress them down!), and the style is going to be gatefold. I'm quite excited to start on it.

Until next time....

Grandma Gertie

This is probably the wedding photo of my grandparents. I don't have many photos of Gertrude (or Gertie, as I understand she was called by her loved ones), as she died about 3 years after her marriage to my grandfather, and the births of her two children. Gertie has been a MYSTERY to me, there is very little known of her, as she died so young, and I don't think that Grandpa Charlie told his children much about her, as my father didn't speak often of her, except she was a war bride, born in Ramsgate, England. I imagine that as a war bride in WW1 she had to travel very light, and as a result I have no photos or letters or other bits of family remembrance from her people. I did make contact with the decendants of one of Gertie's brothers, but they also had little information about her, except that she had gone to Canada and died there at a young age.

The papers are similar to Charlie's page, once again using Graphic 45 Transatlantic. The flower is constructed from Tim's (I'm on a first name basis now!) Tattered Florals, and the swirl stamp is from Stampington and Co.

I finished one fingerless MITTEN today, I have been working on it for about a year now. So hopefully I can get the second one done by next winter. I like to knit, but I am quite slow at it, and with a few OBSTRUCTIONS (e.g. pattern being wrong - 2 restarts until I realized it wasn't me; cats helping tangle the yarn; attempting to multi-task while knitting - i.e. breathe and knit) it takes me forever to complete any projects.

Until next time....

Revelstoke Revisited - Grandpa Charlie

A page from my Revelstoke book, this is my paternal grandfather, Charlie in his WW1 uniform. After the war, he returned to Revelstoke with his war bride, Gertrude. He lived in the area, working for the CP Railway, until his death in 1955.

The cardstock is inked with Distress inks and Tim Holtz masks. The papers are from Graphic 45. I am keeping the pages simple, so that I may actually finish this book. Finished is good. Not finished makes me anxious.

Until next time.....

A Card

One of my co-workers is leaving and I made her this card. I will tell you this is not my design. The stamp is by The Artful Stamper (London, Ontario), and you can see a version of this card on their website. I just added the extra pearls, lace and ribbon.

It is a rather time consuming card to make, with all that embossing and layering, but you can make it from just card stock scraps, and the effect is really pretty.

Supplies:

Butterfly stamp by The Artful Stamper

Tim Holtz embossing ink

Gold embossing powder

Green, rust, yellow and almost black cardstock
Stickles (Icicle)

scraps of lace and ribbon

pearls

dimensional adhesive

Incidently, I am still working on the Revelstoke book, and have completed 2 more pages, which I will hopefully post in the next day or two.

Until then...

Return to Revelstoke

I am happy to report that the Basic Grey calendar has now been COMPLETED, only a month late! I controlled my embellishing urges, so that made things go faster as well.

I started this book last year, it is a TRAVEL JOURNAL for a genealogy road trip my darling husband and I made last June, trying to find out more about my dad's family. The papers are from Graphic 45, plus some cardstock I had around the house. You can't see it in this photo, but the clock face has been covered twice with Glossy Accents. The metal bits are from Mr. Holtz (we all know which Mr. Holtz we are talking about, don't we?), as are the Distress Inks.

The journaling was all done during the trip, and now I am adding the photos - some of the trip, and some of my dear ancestors. I never met either of my paternal grandparents, they both passed away before I was born.

Hopefully I can keep on task with this project, and get it DONE before my next trip, for which I am planning another journal. I will try to keep things fairly simple, and not get carried away with too much bling, etc. Oh yes, and not to OBSESS to much about placement of stuff on the pages. Really, does a centimeter one way or the other really matter?

Until later....

Calendar Capers - September Completed!

As you can see, I am diligently working away on my 2011 Calendar. I have been having some help from the CATS, on occasion they sit on the desk and knock my pens to the floor, indirectly telling me which colours I should be using. (I think they may be colour-blind, as their suggestions are out of this world.)

Sadly, February starts in a few days, and that means that all the work I put into January will be for naught, unless I pretend that it is still January for a few days into February. I may have to do that. I'm never quite clear on what day it is anyway.

Until next time....

Procrastination Update

It is now mid January, and I am still working on my Basic Grey Calendar. I am stuck in August, which isn't such a bad place to be, because the weather is oh so much nicer there than it is here.

None the less, I am falling behind, and the wonderful pre-inventory/post Christmas SALES I have been frequenting haven't helped one bit. I am gathering more STUFF and wonderful IDEAS, with seemingly less and less time to complete these anticipated projects.

Last night, I went to my first of 4 POTTERY classes. My son gave me these as a Christmas gift, and I must admit I was a little intimidated by the idea of creating something from clay. I was further frightened on the first night by some of the ladies there who had done "wheel work", and were looking for "new ways of creative expression".

But then the instructor rolled out some clay, and brought out some STAMPS and starting stamping images into the clay..... and I felt right at home.

She said we could bring our own stamps from home, but I'm not too sure about getting clay in my precious stamps. We'll have to see. When I get something fired and glazed, I'll post a photo.

Until then, it's back to August....

Day Nineteen, and the End of the Road for the December Daily

Well, here we are in 2011, and this is my final page of the 2010 December Daily. My New Year's resolution this year was to be kind to myself, and so I am not upset that this album didn't end up being 31 pages. I mean, look at it. How could another 11 pages fit in this book anyway?!? By the way, Day Nineteen is made from a Santa from Crafty Secrets, a page from a book that is intended to be ripped up, snowflakes punched with a Quickutz, and bits and pieces I have hanging around.

I went through the book, and was amazed at the transformation from Day One to Day Twenty. At first, it was a very personal account, with photos, etc. By the end, it was me fooling around with different techniques, stamps and papers I wanted to try, with very little journaling.

This is what I learned. I only do a few interesting things in December, and the rest of the time I'm still working, doing laundry, and madly shopping, cooking, and getting ready for Christmas. I don't have little kids that do cute things (I rely on the cats and the dog for that), and the closer I get to the 25th, the less time I have to work on projects like this. By the time the Big Day is over and done, I am in no mood to be fussy cutting any more angels or Santa's.

So a December Daily is not for me. Unless it is a shortened version. I would consider making another, if I were proficient at using digital scrapbooking software. I was quite disappointed with my printer and the photos I printed out. I won't be doing that again any time soon. I already write in a daily journal, and I have a photo thing on my phone where I take a picture everyday (I've been doing so for 6 months, and it's fun, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing with them).

Maybe next year I'll finish the last 11 pages. Maybe not. For now, it's on to new projects. My next item on the agenda is a Basic Grey Calendar. I did one last year, and loved it. (Of course, I felt the need to ultra embelish it, and it took longer that it should have.) I'm going to use the photos from our trip last September.

When that is complete, I'll be back to a travel journal I started last June. It's a story about a trip to Revelstoke, B.C. in search of information on my ancestors. It's made with Graphic 45 papers, of course.

I think I will continue this blog. It has been quite an interesting experience, and I thank you all for your kind and encouraging comments. I read them all, at least twice.

Until next time, when I'll put up some photos of my journal,

Lesley