Spring Wreath!

Hello my Crafty Friends!  I wanted to stop by and share a new Spring wreath I made and added to my etsy shop!  The weather the past few days has been minus 1 or 2 and super sunny!  Today it was so lovely out (well for February) we went for a walk!  Weather like this gets us excited for Spring!  With that I got to work and made this wreath:

You can find it in my shop here.  

That's it for me!  It's a 3 day weekend for the kids as no school tomorrow!  I think we will use our passes for the Children's Museum once again!  Oh and another 2 birthday parties this weekend!  :>

Quick Masculine Birthday Card!

Hello my Crafty Friends!  Happy Monday!  Today I have a birthday card that I made my father in law quickly as in the hour before we left!  I never have masculine birthday cards on hand no matter how hard I try!  Sigh!  Patterned Papers to the rescue!  Hubby starting to pack up and tell me we need to leave soon to add to the stress of the ever hard to make masculine card!  Cannot NOT have a card for my Father in law and I refuse to buy one!  So I pulled out a new stamp set by W Plus 9 Design studio, Writteon Ribbon!

Deciding on which papers to use probably took the longest, which of these papers are the most masculine and would work together??? The paper is from MME's The Sweetest Thing bluebell collection! Isn't this ribbon stamp set so cool?  I love all the sentiments in the set! I also have the matching die which made it faster too! I literally threw this card together than looked at it and realized the stripes weren't straight took it apart and thought it was missing something.  Thought of the beige enamel dots by MME that I had thought beige what am I going to do with beige and added a whole bunch of them to the card!  And there you have the made under stress with a time limit masculine card, somehow I don't think I am the only one who has these problems...

We survived this busy weekend of birthday parties! On Friday night we celebrated Chad's dad's birthday and our nephews.  On Saturday we celebrated a friend's 30th birthday with an 80's party!  I went to the thrift store (my first time there since I've been married) and found myself a dress it was a bit big but it had shoulder pads !  I tried on quite a few contenders and texted photos of myself in them to a friend, I laughed at myself quite a bit that day as I tried on the clothes and put on blue eyeshadow and teased my hair!  Saw a pair of plastic shoes but sadly 2 sizes too small!  Here is a photo of me and two friends all dolled up, my hair started that teased and even with hairspray didn't stay that way:

It was a fun party just to laugh at everyone all dressed up!  And my friend decorated her house really well and served food out of the 80s!  Sunday night was a girls night dinner to celebrate another friend, but she sadly got sick and left the dinner before it even started!  Oh the joys of flu season!

Hope you have a great week!  I have a few crafty plans on the agenda!

Simply Amazing and a Winner!

Hello my Crafty Friends!  The weekend is upon us again!  What sort of plans do you have?  For us it's a weekend of birthdays, one party each night!  February seems to be a busy birthday month for us!

Today I have a card to share using Hero Arts True Love stamp set, I love the silhouette girl image along with the frame!  I thought it paired so well with these papers from My Mind's Eye's Lost and Found 3 collection!

I couldn't wait to share this card with you!  My friend Alison was over and spotted it and gasped!  She loved it! Funny story I had pearls on it but she saw a package of dots on it and told me, you should put these dots on there instead of the pearls!  HA!  I did have matching dots (the ones she said to use only had light pink that would work) to this paper but couldn't find them!  So I dug through my mess and found them, took 4 tries to find them where I put them so I could find them easily!  I thought it was funny that she who doesn't paper craft wanted the dots on there!  And there you go the dots have moved from hoarding status to actually used status, my first card with them!  I also used another new stamp set by W Plus 9 design studio, Quite like you!  I love that sentiment!  Now if your wondering if this card will be given to a birthday girl this weekend all I have to say is I don't think so!  This one may be one of those that sit on my craft area so I can admire it...

And I have a winner for the Made with Love Blog Hop who wins The Sweet Stamp Shop Nesting stamp set:


Sarah Biswabic said...
Your kids Valentines are so adorable!

Congrats Sarah!

Well that's it for me!  Have a fantastic weekend!

Feel Better Soon Big Bold Flower!

Hello my Crafty Friends!  Hope you are having a great day! A cold spell has returned of course after a big storm so not only lots of snow but frigid temperatures!  It's supposed to warm up to bearable temperatures tomorrow which it better as I am volunteering at the kids school for an outdoor festival de voyager activities (French Canadian winter fun!)  So it better be decent weather!

Today I have a get well card to share.  A friend was in a bad car accident so I made her a meal and sent along a get well card:

 I was really happy to get this woodblock feel better soon stamp as I have been needing a get well stamp for ages!  All new Hero Arts stamps on this card, tweed background and big bold flower too!  

I am feeling chatty so here's what's new with me:

Last night I planned a girls night with friends, we started the night with seeing this movie:

It was a great movie!  I actually had read the book just a few months ago and loved it!  Afterwards we went out to a restaurant and enjoyed girl talk!  Even though it was so cold we were all so glad to get out, see a good movie and enjoy time with friends!

Today on the drive home from playgroup all of a sudden I ended up in the median, I was lucky not to continue past into incoming traffic and thankfully stopped short and didn't hit the trees!  It really was the most scary thing and over so fast!  Called my SIL and she came and got us and we went got Chad who was able to drive it off the median.  Started to drive home and realized we had a flat!  The wheel had a nail in it (how would I get a nail in it on the corner non fixable in deep snow?) Also turns out the car has winter tires on it (just bought it in January) we didn't know, and would have kept driving it which wouldn't be safe at all when it's hot out.  So tomorrow 4 new tires on the car!  I've never been in an accident where I've hit another car, my accidents seem to involve me hitting the car against curbs and costing money and such although it's been a few years.  Sigh...

Can't leave you with that negative!  For the past two weeks I've been taking part in a squat challenge.  A friend posted on facebook who wants to do a squat challenge and before I even thought about it I said me!  Than I asked my friends and 8 of them (some crafty may be reading this) said yes too! Started at 50 for 4 days and going up 25, we are now on 150 and when we finish will be doing 200!  It's been great well until it hit 150 it was!  I plan to continue and do 75 to 100 a day.  :>  I find I really do it since you have to post done and knowing that they are doing it is having me do it too!

Well that's it for me!  I am off to do some squats and start on a wreath etsy order! Oh and I have to make a banana bread for the teachers...  :>  Kids are alseep so it's time for Chad and me to spend some time together!

Dazzling Rose!

Hello my Crafty Friends!  If you are looking for the Made with Love Blog hop please scroll down or click here.  

Today I have a dazzling card to share!  Sequins are quite trendy right now and I found this awesome sequin trim at the fabric store so I had to get some!

I stamped the snow dots background stamp by Hero Arts with slate ink by Close to My Heart.  I stamped the tea flower also by HA with black stazon ink and than water colored it with tattered angels spray mist and a small paint  brush.  Stamped the sentiment from Many Birthdays by HA, I think this sentiment is a great pair to sequins! Added the sequin trim in the light pink and silver, pulled some sequins off the thread and placed the around.  I love this card, it's quite me!  :>

Happy to share that the Valentine's sent to school were a big hit!  Remember how I fretted over the milk, egg and peanut allergy in Carter's class and sent suckers.  He did bring chocolate home, why do I worry?  Ariel's class loved the treats!  I'm glad I took the extra time to make them as there weren't too much treats for there party!  While I try to limit my kids sugar and teach them healthy eating I am not one to freak out about sugar and treats for a Valentine's Party!  Chad and I enjoyed an afternoon date seeing Identity Thief as both kids were in school!  It was so funny and I enjoyed our time together!  Spent the evening celebrating with the kids!  I made cupcakes as a surprise while they were in school! Finished the night off with a pink smoothies bananas and strawberries, I may have thrown in a carrot too...  So fun to see them look through there Valentines with glee!  We bought the kids each a book instead of chocolate, for Carter and Lego Ninjago book (which he has carried around everywhere since) and for Ariel a Thea Stitlon book.  She declared that this was the best Valentine's Ever all because she got a book!  We've been going to the library regularly but she says she much prefers to have books than borrow them, she wants to collect them!  Meanwhile there is me when we moved I donated ALL my books and got rid of them, I much prefer my kobo! 

Well I am off!  Busy Saturday spent over here cleaning up the house and skating lessons!  Carter is finally starting to skate without help and still waiting for Ariel to figure out how to glide!  :>  They are both playing fabulously in the basement that Chad just cleaned (how long will that last?) So I am off to relax!  :>

Made With Love Blog Hop!

Happy Valentines Day!!!  I am beyond excited to be here as part of the Made With Love Blog Hop!  The best part of Gallery Idol are the friendships we all made with each other!  We keep in contact and chat almost everyday!  :>   We thought it would be fun to have a blog hop celebrating love! You should have arrived here from my friend Miriam's blog!  Valentine's Day is a special day for me as it is the day I met my husband!  :>  We've been so blessed to have so many of the top crafting companies sponsor us with giveaways, they are:

Avery Elle  | BasicGrey  | Becky Oehlers stamps  |  Bossy Joscie  |  CAS-ual Fridays Stamps   |  Fresh Squeezed Stamps  |  Gel-a-tins   |  Great Impressions Stamps  |  I {Heart} Papers  |  Lil' Inkers Designs  |  Mama Elephant   |  Neat & Tangled Stamps  |  Punky Sprouts  |  Ribbon Carousel   |  Simon Says Stamp  |  SRM Stickers  |  Sweet and Sassy Stamps  |  Sweet Stamp Shop  |  The Crafter's Companion  |  The Craft’s Meow  |  The Twinery   |  Timeless Twine  |  Unity  |  Uniko Stamps  |  Viva Las VegaStamps

I am so happy to be giving away to one lucky winner a stamp set from:

Sweet Stamp Shop is a hand drawn polymer stamp company dedicated to creating fun and unique stamps that are easy to use, fun to color, and super 'sweet'!  Right now they are releasing new stamps so make sure to check out there blog for more chances to win!

Today I am sharing with you the treats WE made for Ariel and Carter's classes!  Valentines Day really is a day that kids love!  I thought it would be fun to make Valentine's for the class!  For Ariel's class we made:

This was quite the family affair, Chad die cut the Spellbinders labels dies (over 100 of them)  I stamped the front, Ariel stamped the back heart wrote the names and colored hers in!   I used Lawn Fawn's My Silly Valentine stamp set, such a fun Valentine set! The first three bags of conversation hearts I bought tasted like chlorine!  So those went into the garbage but the next few  bags said on them that they just might have be made in a place where milk had been used and do to a milk allergy I could not use conversation hearts for Carter's class.  I may have been upset, I mean I had stamped 58 of these, and painted in with ink 24 of them!  What was I to do, any candy I thought would work in a little bag probably would not be dairy and nut free!   I thought well too bad Carter's class your getting just the Valentine!  But than my friend said to me what about suckers?  Oh yeah!

For Carter's Valentine's since he wasn't interested in coloring (he was interested in eating the treats!) I painted them in with inks (inked up a clear block spritzed with water and painted in with a paint brush)  And just used sctoch tape to adhere to suckers onto the Valentine!

For Ariel's class I also made some treats to eat at school:

Rice krispie pops!  I made rice krispie treats and cut them out with a heart cookie cutter, than stuck a stick into it  (with a bit of chocolate so it would stay) than put some melted chocolate on top and sprinkles!  I hope her class loves them!  I enjoy making these treats!  And for the first time ever I finally made them BEFORE the kids went to bed!  I usually wait but this time I thought to myself why do I do that?  

I hope that you enjoyed seeing what I made for Valentine's Day!  Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a stamp set from Sweet Stamp Shop!  You don't have to be a follower of my blog but I would love it if you were!  :>  The next stop if the lovely and my fellow Canadian friend Elena!  Enjoy celebrating this day of love!

Chalkboard Valentine Take 2 and Breakfast Television!

Hello my Crafty Friends!  It's been a busy few days here craftywise!  :>  Yesterday morning Ariel and I had two segments on Breakfast Television Winnipeg, a local television show.  This was my 5th time (Ariel's 4th) we had a great time and I think it went really well!   Today I taught a Valentine card class at a inner city school in my city, it went quite well!  I also finished up a custom wreath order, a baby hair band and started a pacifier clip order!  :>

For the first craft on BT we made a Pom Pom Valentine Puppy!  Ariel LOVES this puppy took it to school with her and told her classmates how to make it!  She is now sleeping with it!  She loves it that much you can see the video here.  (I will upload a photo of the craft tomorrow much too tired now)

Our second craft was paper roll butterflies!  :>  You can see the video here.  I really am so blessed to have this opportunity!  :> 

Today I taught two cards and as mentioned before I did teach a chalkboard technique card and THEY LOVED IT!  So much so I plan to do it again!  I let them choose where and which stamps to use and they really enjoyed coming up with there own designs! I enjoyed seeing what they came up with and the joy they had in making it!  One of the girls wrote her boyfriends name with the white pencil on the side and it looked so cool and I liked seeing how she put herself into the card! I did it with black paper so I made a new card for it, I took the photo quickly before I left:

I added pink embossing this time which I think adds so much!  I can see how making these chalkboard cards are a wee bit addicting!

Well that's it for me!  I am off I just remembered that I didn't do my squats for today!  I am taking part in a squat challenge started last week at 50, now it's 100!  Tonight I will do them and than fall into bed exhausted!  LOL  Super busy week here creativity and workwise too!  :> 

Pink Chalkboard Valentine!

Hello my Crafty Friends!  I tried the chalkboard technique and I like it! So I've been seeing the chalkboard technique everywhere and I thought it was cool but I didn't really feel like trying it.  But the other day seeing Joy's lovely creation on the Hero arts blog really inspired me to give it a shot, I have those stamp sets I can do this!  I think what I dreaded most was figuring out how to "stack" and place the stamps! I read up a bunch of tutorials on it.  I played around with the stamp placement while the kids ate there snack and once they fell asleep since Chad was at the Jets game (NHL) and it was quiet I was able to focus and got to work.  I put my own spin to it since I was making a Valentine card, why not a pink chalkboard?

Sideview:

I used Hero Arts Basic Grey's True love and Amore stamp sets.  First arranged all the stamps and than stamped each with versamark and than heat embossed it with Hero Arts White embosing powder (my favorite it really is a great white embossing powder)  Than  I took white ink and with my fingers blended it here and there, than I took a ruler and a white derwent pencil and drew lines around the card (this is what i was most nervous about I remember being an earlier crafter and really screwing this up!)  I than stamped again with white pigment (colorbox frost) white ink the sentiments again slightly off to get that chalkboard look.  I see some people not doing this part and some people doing it, so I guess it's all what you think looks best.  My white ink is slowly dieing (sigh I need a new one!)  so it didn't give as crisp of an image but I don't mind that.  Mated it with black cardstock it needed something so I added the doilies to the edges!  Quite pleased with this pink chalkboard what do you think?

On Tuesday I am teaching a Valentine class at a inner city school to some preteen girls, I think I may do a chalkboard card with them!  Let them choose which stamps and how to arrange it, I am excited!

Well I am off, I have a lot of crafty projects to do today!  Thanks for stopping by and always appreciate your comments!

Big Bold Flower!

Hello my Crafty Friends!  Hope your having a super day!  I am enjoying a quieter day at home with Carter as after school we are off to the Children's Museum with friends for a special members monthly night!  For Christmas we were blessed by my aunt with annual passes and are really enjoying them!  

Today I have a card to share using new Hero Arts stamps!  How many new ones do you think I used on this card?

 

 

Did you guess 4?  I used Tweed Pattern, Big Bold Flower (love it), Notebook paper and a sentiment from Many thanks (I think it's called that)    I went with a fun and bright color scheme as i thought it paired well with the stamps and really enjoyed making this card!  I used Hero Arts inks:  bubble gum pink, orange soda, tide pool (my absolute favorite blue) 

I also wanted to share that you have more than just love to look forward to on Valentines Day:

Join us Gallery Idol 2012 girls for a blog hop featuring love creations!  Tons of prizes! 

Arrows and Hearts!

Hello my Crafty Friends!  I hope that you have had a great Tuesday!  Today I have a Valentine card to share!  It's hard to believe that Valentines Day is just 9 days away already!  I've hardly made enough Valentine Cards!  We are busy into Valentine mode over here as we prepare for a Valentine crafting session on Breakfast Television next week, figure out what Valentines to make for classmates, decide what Valentine treats for the classes (this year will be my first year with both kids in school!)  and actually figure out some Valentine plans!

Did you see that on Hero Arts blog they are sharing cards featuring HA's and Basic Grey's True Love collection?  I have both clear stamp sets from this collection and today's card features stamps from both:

I stamped the three arrows and small hearts from the two sets all over the card. To easily get the same angle for each time I stamped I placed the paper sideways and stamped straight (I lined up the two corners to a lined piece of paper)  It made it so much easier (I may have tried first not doing it that way...)  I really really love the I love you arrow!  Oh the possibilities! I was excited to play with the arrows as I've noticed the trend of arrows lately!  The stamped background seemed busy enough so I went with a strip of grey and white cardstock and added some xoxo's die cut from my new die by Hero Arts Uppercase alphabets!  I also used all Hero Arts shadow inks on this card:  Wet Cement, Bubble Gum Pink and Red Royal.  And the stamps I used are Hero Arts:  True Love and Amore!  

I hope to be back soon with more Valentines Day cards!  :>

January CARDS Pubs 2013!

Hello my Crafty Friends!  I wanted to pop on in and share some pubs I have in January's 2013 CARDS!  One of my favorite magazines!  Such an honor to be published in there, so blessed!  I had two cards picked up and the first one was for Cards for Men, I was excited for this one as I had just made a bunch of manly cards and felt in the groove for them, they picked up the birthday card I made for Chad.  Which he was more than happy to let me send away (as if had a choice lol) I used Hero Arts stamps and MME papers for this.

 Here is how it appears in the magazine:

My next card was for Get Well and uses W Plus 9 Design Studio Stamps!

Here's how it appears in the magazine:

Don't you love that dish?  I always so enjoy seeing how CARDS photographs there cards and always think how much better my card looks in there magazine!

Actually I don't think I shared this tag that got picked up in CARDS December 2012's issue either so I may as well share it now:

I have no clue how this tag looks like in CARDS as I missed it completely and didn't see it when it was in stores and have not received my issue yet from them.  So if you happen to have it please could you email me a photo?

A few days ago we purchased a new toy an IPad Mini!  I wasn't interested in the ipad before but this mini version is absolutely perfect for me!  I love the size it's perfect for lounging on the couch, it's light (same weight as my kobo) so it's easy to carry in my purse if need be (for showings and such) My brother who works in IT and has an Ipad loved how much lighter it was and wondered if his wrist pain really was from lifting weights lol!  And the screen is a great size, not too small just perfect!  I feel that with little kids and less likely to be dropped or the screen broken.  We are strict on there use but do let them use it.  Our laptop is getting older and is running a tad slow so the speed of the ipad is awesome!  And I love the learning apps for the kids!  I am trying to blog hop more but the joy of using the keyboard is fun so if you notice spelling mistakes or super short comments know I was using my ipad!

And that's it for me!  I hope to be back with some Valentine Cards I got a few new Valentine Sets!  We are off to a superbowl party at our church!  Last year we really had a blast and several other families are going to!