Welcome Lila Grace!

Happy Wednesday!  I am so happy to share that the sun is back and the weather is warming up!  Yay for sunshine!  :>  This morning marked the last of our weekly play groups (two a week) it's sad to be over but it means summer is it on it's way!

Today I am here with a baby card for the wonderful Jennifer McGuire's new sweet baby girl Lila Grace! 

 When I saw that crafty ladies were making cards for her I had to take part!  I think highly of Jennifer she is as kind as you would think!  And I am so delighted her and her family and her new baby!  I know Jennifer loves babies and I bet she is loving every moment!  I also love babies and am drooling over how sweet Lila is!  :>  Here's my card:

This card has been removed as it's going to be published!

I am entering this card into Simon Says Stamps challenge this week of Anything Goes, they used twine which I did too!  :>

I have one cute story to share, today on our way home from school I was driving the speed limit (I promise) on the perimeter (so it's 100 km/h) and Ariel says to me "Mommy speeding is for race cars!"   I laughed and told her that I was not speeding but yes driving fast here people drive faster.  They must be teaching them in school about speeding!

Well I am off to get dinner on the table tonight Ariel has dance class!  :>

Etched Flowers Congratulations!

Hello!  Happy Tuesday to you!  :>  It's been dreary here for the past couple of days and they are not calling for sunshine for a few more days!  Sigh....last night I needed to get out myself so I went shopping for myself.  It's been too long since I've bought myself some new clothes, I always feel guilty but this time I told myself I had to!  I was very happy to find 2 new shirts! :>

Today I have a card I made for my brother.  He had a wedding on Saturday and asked me to make a card for him!  I used new stamps:

I embossed the etched flowers by Hero Arts with chestnut embossing zing powder.  I colored it in with Tattered Angel's glimmer mist Pink Poodle and Dutch Tulip and the green is blarney!  I've never used this stuff before but got 6 bottles with my prize and boy have I ever been enjoying spraying it!  Ariel has enjoyed it too but we had the conversation of how it needs to be sprayed with mommy around and not just sprayed.  I also learned that it needs it's lid on when it's shaken!  LOL!  I have to remember to put these where Carter can't find them!  :>  I basically sprayed it on a clear block and painted the flowers in with a paint brush, super fast and super enjoyable!  The congratulations sentiment is from Practicing Creativity got it with my prize, has lots of good sentiments in it!  :>  

Yesterday Ariel wanted to do her own hair for school:

Can you tell?  LOL!  I love that girl!  I told her to show Daddy and he asked me "Are you going to let her go to school like that?"  Why not it's cute and she was so excited! She said that all the kids loved it!!!  But as soon as she got home she took it out, she said it hurt a bit!  :>  I think I count 16 hair barrettes!

Thank you so much for visiting me today!

Thanks so much!

Hello!  Happy Sunday!  It's a rainy dreary day here!  But sometimes a rainy dreary day is nice and relaxing and needed!  :>

Today I have a card to share that I made to play along with The Playdate Cafe this week!  And yes it's using a new stamp set from my prize  :>

I love the Play Date Colors:

I used Verve's Making a Statement set for this card!  I saw the Play Date's colors and this card came together in my head quickly!  I stamped the flower background and I so enjoy doing that!  I also really like these colors together!  :>

Yesterday we had a garage sale!  Our area has a yearly garage sale and I wasn't going to take part because Chad had a conference but I thought hey why not on Thursday!  I've been organizing stuff the kids have outgrown for a while in an effort to clean up so it was ready to go!  Although I did search the house and found much more.  It seems never ending how many baby and little kid items I keep finding!  My SIL came too and she has 4 kids so if you can imagine how much stuff she had!  She also suggested that I should bake some stuff for sale.  I figured why not my family will eat whatever doesn't sell!  :>  After setting up I stayed up a bit late and baked  and wrapped it up for 2 1/2 hours I made 2 pans of puffed wheat squares, oh henry bars and double recipe of banana chocolate chip muffins.  I sold out of the puffed wheat and oh henry right away, the muffins did sell but not out.  Totally worth my time!  And I see what sells too!  I will for sure dot it again next year!

I have a few cute kid stories to share with you!  :>  The other day when I was driving Ariel home from dance I asked her if she wanted to take dance next year again.  She replied "Yes!  A girl in my class said when were bigger they will throw roses at us when we dance!"  Oh I laughed!  So cute and sweet!  :>

On Friday at Carter's soccer game which was absolutely freezing he was quite upset that Ariel was at the play structure while he had to play soccer!  I've never had him complain before but at this park the structure was right behind the field.  He was out playing (truly into it) and the ball was traveling to the far end of the field and he was running towards it and just kept running past to the play structure!  It was so funny to hear all the parents and the coach notice!!!  So funny and no I could not get him to come back and play soccer.  I tried and he just ran again to the structure!

Yesterday during the sale my SIL and I were chatting about how the little girl two houses down had pulled out her violin and was playing with the case at her feet.  I had Ariel go and put some money in it.  Ariel a bit later goes and gets a baby toy tambourine and a cup, puts the cup at her feet and starts playing the tambourine!  Hahaha so funny!  I love my kids!

Well that's it for me today!  Until next time!  :>

Live in Style and a Giveaway!

Hello!  I am happy to be home today!  My house is clean, Carter is happily playing and I've been able to create!  I was a very happy girl yesterday when the postman brought my prize from Paper Crafts for Stamping Royalty!!!  Eeeek!  So today I got creative and made my first card with one of the stamps from the box:

The dress form stamp is by Inkadinkado and I stamped it on white cardstock with distress ink antique linen, than stamped it in vintage photo and sweet plum by memento cut them out and layered it over.  I was going to use a pink but so glad I did something different and went with the plum!  The sentiment is from Hero Arts Past Times set, I thought it fit so well!  :>  It  may be hard to tell in the photo but the cardstock is a deep purple!  :>

So I know you want to see some photos of my prize and I would love to share it with you, even though I look horrible here's a photo of an excited me and the box 

Here is what I saw when I opened the box:

Opps I opened the box upside down!  Only me which means that the picture is of me with an upside down box!  :>  It's the mailman's fault, he gave it to me that way!  Here is everything inside:

I counted around 24 stamp sets!  6 bottles of tatered angels glimmer mist, 2 ranger ink pads, and 3 packages of American Crafts markers!  You know how much I love stamping so you know how happy I am!  I am in stamping heaven!  Here is the personalized bag they sent:

 I have a giveaway in celebration of my win!  This is for any followers of my blog!  You need to be a follower (if it's by email let me know) in order to win!  I am so thankful for all my followers!  Especially those who take the time to leave me comments!!! If you want to share this on your blog or facebook/twitter please do but you don't have to!  :>  One comment per person!  :>  And it's open to anywhere in the world!

I will leave this open until Saturday June 2, 2012

Please include your email to make it easier to reach you!

This giveaway includes:

Basic Grey Konnichiwa 6 by 6 pad

Fiskars Henna Petals Stamp Set

Technique Tuesday When in Rome Set

Hero Arts Gems

Thank you!  Have a great day!  And yes there will be a picture of me with my tiara soon!  :>

Thank You Tea Flower

Hello!  Happy Tuesday!  We enjoyed our long weekend as a family and are now back at it!  :>  Today I have a thank you card set to share that I made for my neighbors mom's group.  I think I've mentioned but this group has babysitters who are paid to watch the kids while us  mom's get together have coffee, talk and/or have special speakers. We fund raise to pay the babysitters.  :> 

When I first got the tea flower stamp by Hero Arts a bit back I embossed a bunch in chestnut and painted them with inks and perfect pearls water mist.  I very much enjoyed it and than made the two cards I've shared before.  I used the rest for this set!  Great idea when you don't have mojo to do something you enjoy and have it waiting, saved lots of time!  I wanted to make this set something an older woman would like so I used doilies!  I stamped the dot flower background with cup of joc mid tone shadow ink by Hero Arts (new to me) added a banner with a sentiment put them together and added some jewels.  Cutting the flowers, stamping and everything took me an hour!  Not bad for 4 cards and not bad that I did it while watching the finale of Apprentice! 

Special thanks to my friend Trinh who told me I should enter this set into Moxie Fab World's The Doilies and Lace Challenge!

I have some cute photos to share.  Lately I am really working on getting the kids to help or clean up after themselves.  I am trying to teach them respect for our home.  My kids are pretty great and quite well behaved but they are kids!   So I discovered this weekend that Carter can vacuum!  I know it sounds strange of course he can do it but being three he is young but he doesn't vacuum toys and is good at vacuuming the mess he made and he is careful!  Plus he really like to vacuum and takes the time to do it!  Only thing is vacuuming once a day is his max!  After supper I asked him to vacuum the kitchen and I got some photos:

Isn't he cute?  Yes I know so tall, but he won't be 4 until almost the end of August! He is growing like a weed, each season I find his pants getting short!  Can't seem to keep up with buying him new clothes!!  Lately I've had quite a few people ask me about him going to kindergarten in the fall, what?  When I tell them he is three they are shocked!  Thankful that he is only going to preschool in the fall!  The other day I was writing an email to a friend about how I was sad about that, while typing Carter calls me and I turn around to his spinach smoothie (he loves it)  spilled all over the floor!  I finished the email with "Maybe preschool won't be so bad!"  

And that's it from me today!  :>

Safari Gift Bag

Hello!  Hope you've had a great start to your week, it's still the weekend here as it's a long weekend!  We've had a nice relaxing weekend so far, it rained all Saturday!  The weather was pretty good yesterday and were hoping that the call for rain for this afternoon is wrong since were planning to hang out with some friends at the park!  :>

Today I have a project on the gel a tins blog! I made a gift bag using the Safari Friends stamp set!

I stamped the animals from Safari friends in various inks and made a matching tag!

Well that's it for me!  Off to enjoy the sunshine!  :>

Belive in Your Dreams

Hello!  It's Friday and for us here in Canada it's a long weekend!  Yay!  It's been a gorgeous few days but sadly the forecast into the weekend is rain, which it is every May long weekend!  Although with how much better the weather has been this year who knows!

Last night I got together with a few girlfriends who watch Greys Anatomy too, to watch it.  Did not realize that so many of my friends watched it until one organized it!  So funny to hear her walk around playgroup asking "Do you watch Grey's?"  LOL It was great to sit together and watch it and talk about it too!  Special thanks to my MIL for coming over to babysit, since Chad had an appointment.  :>

So when you blog real time do you ever find yourself starting a post and working on it through the day? That's how it went today.  I started this just after 3 got to here and than Carter woke up we cuddled, I went grocery shopping, made quick dinner, went to soccer, picked Ariel up from a birthday party, and now as I feed them a snack I  am finishing typing this. Well I was until I put the kids to bed and got a surprise call from a great crafty friend!  :>  Now as I type this I am watching Scandal!

Today I have a cheerful encouragement card to share, well I think it's encouraging!  I was in the mood to play with Flutter by, by Lawn Fawn.

I am entering this card into Paper Craft 2012 Gallery Idol!   I think that this sentiment is quite encouraging?  I stamped the flower from the Flutter By set masking it and using bright summer colors.  

I have two wreaths to share with you!  This one was a custom order from a good friend for her Mother in law for Mother's Day!

She loved it! This is my most popular wreath colors I have found!  :> And here is another custom order from a good friend for her grandmother for Mother's Day!  

This was my first jewel toned wreath!  After posting it on facebook I got another order for a jewel toned wreath so I will share that next week!  And actually I didn't want to mention it before Mother's Day but two wreaths that I had on facebook for sale two husbands bought for there wives!  :>  And that's how I am going to leave you, off to work on a wreath!  :>

Super Fun Birthday!

Happy Tuesday!  It feels like it's been so long since I last posted and chatted with you so I warn you, your in store for a long post!  :>  Last week I didn't get to create too much but last night I sat down and played:

It's funny because I knew I wanted to play with the flower trio from Patterned Hearts and Flowers by HA BUT I had a total different idea in my head!  Than I decided to play with the current Hero Arts challenge:

I love the colors this month and wanted to use them, than thought I should make a birthday card as I always need them and than thought to myself I may as well make it an interactive card too!  I think this is the first time I've actually played with all 3 of the challenges for Hero Arts in one card!  :>  So here is how I made it interactive:

 

I thought both sentiments worked well together!! Here's another view, I used a lot of foam dimensional's to get it to work!

I really enjoyed making this card!  I can't wait to give it away and see there face!

We had a wonderful weekend!  On Friday Carter had a soccer game and let me tell you nothing is more amusing than watching almost and 4 year olds play soccer! HA!  Carter kept wiping out and falling and often taking other kids out!  Everyone laughed!  Oh so fun!  We took the kids out for donuts after too!  Saturday was Manitoba Day (my province) and the Manitoba Museum was free so we took the opportunity to take the kids!  We started out in the Science Gallery, than a Fred Penner planetary show in the Planetarium!  Perfect for there age and fun and musical!  Had lunch and than went through the museum in a little less than an hour! I guess with a busy 3 year old that's how it goes!  LOL!  :>  They had people dressed up so I got a photo of the kids:

After the museum Ariel had her first swimming lesson and than we went to celebrate Chad's Mother with his family!  We had a family bbq at my BIL and SIL's house!  It was a gorgeous day outside!  Sunday we went to church and the kids and I went along with Chad to show a house, while he did that we played at a nearby park!  :>  Hit the mall for sandals for the kids and than they made me pancakes for lunch and Carter and I took a nice nap!  Chad snapped a picture of the three of us:

 

It was such a gorgeous day on Sunday that we planned to go the park after naps, and it turned out another good friend were planning too so we went together!  The kids really enjoyed playing together!  Afterwards we had a great family fun dinner of make your own pizzas!  We had such a great weekend celebrating Mother's Day!  And yesterday it was even hotter we went to a good friend's pool!  First time swimming outside in May!  :>

Well I think that's it from me today!  I hope your week is going fabulously!  :>

Sweet Cakes!

Hello!  Happy Friday!  I wanted to pop by and let you know that mt first creative post for gel a tins is up on there blog today!  I so would love it if you went and check it out and left me some love!!!  You can see it here! 

Here's a sneak peak!

Hope your Friday is as great as it should be!

Flying By

Hello!  Hope your day is going great!  I enjoyed play group with Carter this morning and am looking forward to a relaxing afternoon!

I wanted to pop in and share a card that I made yesterday.  In my head this is what I told myself "A little more cardmaking a little less overthinking it!'  I just wanted to enjoy stamping and creating so I made a very CAS card, but I love it!

I am entering this card into the current Lawnscaping Challenge of Clean and Simple:

I enjoyed stamping this card and paper piecing it with the This and That papers by Echo Park!

Last night Chad and I finished up facilitating the Marriage Prep Course at our church, this was our third time doing it this year!  It's done now until the fall!  So enjoy getting to know new couples!  :>  Afterwards I went out with a good friend for a late movie.  We saw:

And it was as good as you think it's going to be!  It was so great to get out with a good friend!  :>  We cruised the book store first and enjoyed chatting before and after the movie!  :>

Oh and I also just finished a popular book:

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella.  It's an easy and enjoyable read.  I loved it.  Nothing wrong with fluff reading, for me reading is to relax!  :>

Well I am off!  I hope to be back soon I've cleaned up and organized my craft space and got lots of new goodies lately so I really feel the desire to craft!  :>

Little Digger

Hello!  Hope your enjoying your weekend!  It's an absolutely beautiful spring day and we are enjoying just relaxing and spending time as a family!  It's been too long since we've had a no plans sort of day and I am loving it!

I have been quite crafty too today!  I started much earlier than usual with crafting, maybe I will do that more often!  :>  Or maybe it's because brother called this morning and asked for 3 cards that he needs by tonight!  One of them was a baby boy card which worked out so well as on facebook I won this delightful set Onesie Twosie by Taylored Expressions last month so I was more than happy to have a reason to use it!  Here's the card I made him:

I absolutely love the sentiment and the digger stamp!  I used the This and That collection by Echo Park for the pp and the mini wood close pin is from my stash I have had them since I started papercrafting!  :>

 I am quite happy to share that this week Ariel learned how to ride a two wheeler!  Yay no more training wheels!  I feel in a way it's been a long time coming because she had no interest in learning or even riding her bike. But since the start of the school year she has been talking about how in June her school has a bike rally.  I think she was dreading it!  On Monday I announced that starting today we would be practicing with her riding her bike everyday!  On Monday Chad and I took turns helping her, she was scared and maybe even shaking.  I told her that everyone starts that way but everyone learns how to do it and so will you!  Tuesday lots of help from me and Chad and at the end she said no more and started herself.  Wednesday she is all excited to come home from school to go and practice riding her bike, by myself!  Thursday she has really got it and can even go in circles!  The best part of it all really is all the kids who live in the street who would encourage her.  They would either shout "Ariel your doing it!"  Or ride along beside her and encourage her!  And give her tips and show her what to do!  It truly was so touching to see this!  She is absolutely loving riding her bike now!

Of course I don't get a photo of her actually riding!  LOL  Next up is teaching Carter how to peddle his bike!  I think in a bit he will be willing to learn after watching Ariel loving it!  

Well I am off to get dinner ready and enjoy a nice relaxing Saturday night!  Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!

April Cards Pub and more

Hello!  Happy Wednesday!  Hope your doing great!  We had a really fun day here today, play group, a friend and her three boys for lunch and a playdate and lots of fun in the warm day!  But this momma is beat!  :>

I wanted to share that the gel a tins blog is doing meet the new design team and today it's meet me!  I really would love it if you checked it out!  You can see it here!  Next week I will have my first creative post for them!

I also wanted to share my tag that was published in CARDS April 2012 issue!  

And here is how it looks in the magazine:

I always cannot wait to see my work in the magazine! Each time I feel so blessed!  And the thrill I get when I get my hands on the issue and flip through it! Ooooing and ahhhing at the great work and than I find mine!  I always so enjoy seeing how they photograph it, love the props and colors!  That bowl, love!

I also have a new wreath that I finished up on Monday to show you!  It turned out so well!

I have two other wreath orders for Mother's Day gifts that I am actually working on too right now!  :>  I am off to go and enjoy the quiet with Chad and watch my favorite sitcom Modern Family!