I {heart} dinosaurs.....Happy 7th Birthday, Kieran!!!!

Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and I hope Santa was good to everyone too!!I sure got some fabulous crafting pressies! I am definitely more organized now, that is for sure! I will share some pics with you in another post!

Well, Christmas and New Years is a busy time for us all!!! We have two birthdays to celebrate during this time too. My hubby's birthday is on Christmas Eve and Kieran's is the 28th!

So, yesterday was Kieran's 7th Birthday!!! This is the card that I made for him but frankly he wasn't at all interested in it, smile! Can't really blame him! He is a typical 7 year old boy and was way more interested in the new game for the Wii and the Nerf blaster that came with it, lol!

It is a little difficult to have a party with a bunch of kids during the Christmas holidays so we just did our family celebration yesterday! My dh has been really sick with a terrible cold too. So, we decided not to order in Chinese food, as per our family tradition, but will do that another day when he can enjoy it!!!

I took Hannah and Kieran to the shopping centre to get their Build-A-Bear's stuffed! Then we stopped at Dairy Queen to pick up Kieran's ice cream cake, yum-o!!!! It was a rather laid back birthday celebration but, a good day, none-the-less!

Kieran tearing into his b-day present!!!

and goofing around as always!!!

Hannah with her Panda, Bamboo!!

and Kieran with Bucky the Beaver....how Canadian,smile!!!

Now, yesterday I wasn't on the computer much, so, I just learned this morning that Katharina featured my Santa Stop Here card on her blog for the YAOB!!! I am so thrilled and honoured!!!! Go check it out here!!!

Thanks, Katharina, I'm just thrilled to bits!!!

Thanks for stopping by and havin' a wee look-see!!!

Hugs,

FS#33...a Mother & Daughter entry....Good Times and Warm Wishes, Friend!!! & fab Pearlized Mist technique!!!!

I'm done with all my Wassail Christmas cards, phew!!! So, I finally got time to follow along with this week's sketch, on my favourite sketch challenge blog, Friday Sketchers!!! It has been too long since I have played with a FS sketch!! It was so nice to make something a little different from what I have been doing! I just loved this sketch with the large tag! I will definitely use it again!

I've been itching to use this Magnolia scene stamp, Winter Night, and Edwin CC skiing....Looks like he's having fun,eh!? I cut the tag on my Silhouette out of Georgia Pacific paper (and then re-sized the image and cut the second tag out of Bazzill brown cardstock for the mat) and stamped the scene image with Tuxedo Black Memento ink and did the same for Edwin.

The card base is 6X6 Bazzill Brown cardstock and the pp is from a 6X6 BG pad, Offbeat.


I coloured the scene and Edwin with my Copics and Twinkling H2O's and distressed the edges of the tag with Distress ink and Metallic rub-ons. Then I used a fabulous new technique called Pearlized Mists by Tim Holtz. My friend Dana learned about this technique in a class that she took by Vicki Boutin! I will be taking this class on February 7/09 (the day before my B-day, yay!!! This is my B-day present to myself, smile!!!) at The Scrapbook Academy and I am sooooo looking forward to it!!! So, Dana gave me a bit of head start on this class and let me in on this fabulous, Pearlized Mist technique. It is so easy and the effect is fabulous!!!!

I added a full dropper of Tim Holtz Distress ink re-filler into a Mini Mister, a little, stick-sized, scoop of Perfect Pearls Pigment Powder (in the Perfect Pearl colour that Dana shared with me but I definitely have to go buy my own) then I filled up the mister with water and give it a very good shake...I have made up a few different Pearlized Mists using different Distress inks and I just leave them in the bottle to store. Make sure you shake it really well before each use to incorporate the Perfect Pearls Pigment Powder into the water-ink mixture as it will settle in the bottom of the mister. For this card I used Broken China and I think it is Tea Dye Distress ink.

I tried tilting the card and getting a pic of it on an angle so you can see the pearlized mist effect. It really looks pretty!!! i love it!!! When I misted the paper it did buckle but that did go away once it was dry. I was also too impatient to wait for it to air dry so I speed up the process with my heat gun.


I added some Crystal Stickles for even more sparkle and I cut out Edwin and pop-dotted him (thank goodness for my Fiskars fingertip craft knife...love it as it got into those tight spots beautifully). The sentiment is a QK tag that I stamped some MM word stamps that say, adventure, enjoy the journey and discover, on the tag with Brushed Corduroy and then spritzed with the Peralized Mist. This caused the words in Distress inks to run and bleed but I liked the subtle look of it and then I added the Melissa Frances rub-on to the tag and at the bottom of the large tag.

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Now, here is Hannah's (my 9 year old daughter) first card that she has made following a sketch and for a challenge!!!!! I think she has done a fabulous job!!! She coloured Edwin with "her" SU markers (it was too funny listening to her chatter away last night when we were in my craft room!!! She asked me if she should use Close to Coco or Chocolate Chip....she knows all her SU colour names...I get a real kick out of this!!!)

She picked her own paper my stash that I most likely won't use and she even inked the edges of her main image and cut all the papers herself accept for the triangles (that was a bit tricky) but she did 99% of it herself. I am very proud of her and she is very proud of herself too and thrilled that I am posting her card on my blog!!!!

Thanks for stopping by and having a wee peek!!!
hugs,

&

The Aftermath....enter "Tara's Craft Nook" at your own risk!!!!

Well, I thought I would share some pics of my very tiny and very messy craft room with you this evening! Well, It is so tiny it really doesn't qualify as a "room", more like, a little nook, cubby or closet. There is only enough room in there for one person, moi, and sometimes, my daughter, Hannah. She squeezes in when she wants to colour stamped images with me or make cards.

When we decided to finish the basement and make a rec room down there. Hubby wanted a little powder room (bathroom) down there too but I talked him into making a wee craft room for me.


My Dad is a carpenter so he made my counter and built-in storage underneath my work surface. The work surface is a 6 ft length of counter top from the Home Depot. Even though you can see the chair in the pic I usually stand, so, my Dad made the counter a little higher so that I can work comfortably standing and or sitting.

I have two metal message boards above my work surface that I stick up all kinds of things on it. They are looking rather messy right now!!! Sometimes, I colour an image or try something out that doesn't make it to a card but I can't bare to throw it out, so, I stick on the board. I also, put up pics of the kids and sketches that I print to follow along with for various challenge.

I have large rub-on words that go around like a border at the top of the room that say imagine, design, create, enjoy, inspire!

At both ends of the room, there's cabinets that we bought at Home Depot. They fit into a recessed area so they don't' take up too much room. It's almost like they are built -in cabinets.

This is my stash in the cabinet to my left!!!

Can you see my radio under the pile of paper,lol?! I can't work without my tunes!!! I always pile papers and stash on top of the radio.

This is my stash in the cabinet to my right.



This is the mess I have created making all my Christmas cards for the last several weeks. You can also see the storage that I have under my work surface. I have a permanent home for my crop luggage and a little area that I keep my QK bag with my QK binders in it but since I have been working on so many cards everything has just been strewn all over the place!!!


My 4 QK binders and my Scor-pal!


This is my fabulous new stamp storage called ScrapOnizer. I love, love, love this system for storing my stamps. I had my EZ mount stamps in my old Paper/Sticker Binder and they would slide out of the little pockets every time I turned the page looking for a stamp.I was so worried that I was going to lose a stamp that I had to find a better solution! When I saw this system at my LLS I knew it was perfect!

This is soooo much better!!! The cases are clear, so, I can see what I want before opening the case. The cases and the holders are "alterable" so, if you want to pretty them up, you can!!!! I think I may do that over the Christmas holidays!!!

I definitely need several more of theses fabulous sets!!! I just watched the video on the ScrapOnizer website and they also have 12X12 sets to organize and plan your scrapbooking layouts and cool mini-containers that fit into the cases to hold brads, eyelets, buttons, charms and other little do-dads. I think this system is the stampers dream storage and I especially love that it doesn't take up a lot of space which is perfect for me as I'm working in such tight quarters with limited storage space.

More FABULOUS ScrapOnizers!!!!

And when I open the door of my little craft nook this is what I see!!! Now, most of the time the kids make me keep my door closed cuz I am usually rockin' out to my tunes, he he he! But once in a while I open the door and "hang" with everyone watching TV or a movie.

Now, over the Christmas break, I plan to do some serious cleaning and organizing of my craft nook. It's a little embarrassing to see the state it is in now!!!!

I talked with hubby and told him I need another one of the end cabinets from Home Depot and suggested that we could put it in the rec room just outside the door of my nook. He agreed to it...yay!!! I hope to do that very soon!!!!

Well there is a little tour of my craft nook...thanks for stopping by and having a wee look!!!!

A Fabulous Award From Two Fabulous Ladies!!!!!

WOW!!!! I received this fabulous award from Chris and Sharon!!!! Thanks ladies, it is so nice of you to pass it on to me and to have you say that you enjoy my blog!!! I am so glad to hear that and I enjoy your blogs and your fabulous creations so much, big smile!!!!

"The rules are to give it to five others, who shall give it to five others.. You shall link the one you got it from, and also the ones you give it to:) And let them know. And there is more... You have to write down five things you are addicted to...."

Here are my addictions....
1. Stamps, stamping, scrapbooking, scrapbooking supplies

2. Tim Horton's Coffee
3. Chocolate Chunk Cookies (the really good ones)
4. Shopping for stamps & scrapbooking supplies & checking out different scrapbooking/stamping stores
5. Chatting!!!

and I would like to pass this award on to these 5 fabulous bloggers who are so sweet to visit my blog regularly and leave such kind comments!!!!

Kim

Sylvia

Alison

Tab

Anki

hugs!!!

Sketch Saturday # 29....Baby's First Christmas!

Just a quick post tonight to share this card that I made for a work colleague who is off on maternity leave. I have been meaning to send her a card to congratulate her on the birth of her first baby, a little boy! Well, unfortunately, I kinda got sidetracked with all the Christmas cards that I have been making for everyone at work. Then I got this idea for her card to combine the baby and Christmas card into one!!! I'm really happy with how it turned out!!!

I used this week's sketch #29 from Sketch Saturday Challenge blog. It's such a great sketch and it was a nice change from the same format that I have been using on all my Christmas cards but it also fit in nicely with the overall layout that I have been using and meant that I could still use the papers that I had all pre-cut!


I think Alvin looks so sweet sitting on the Christmas Ornament!

I stamped the Christmas ornament on Georgia Pacific paper with Tuxedo Black Memento ink and coloured it with my Copics and Twinkling H2O's. I cut the image with my square Nesties and embossed it. Then I distressed around the image and the edges with my Metallic rub-ons and chestnut roan ink. I stamped Alvin on Georgia pacific paper with my Memento ink and coloured him with my Copics too. I added some white highlights with a Gel pen and acrylic paint. Then I cut him out and pop-dotted on the ornament and added lots of Stickles for a little sparkle!!!

In keeping with all my Christmas cards this year I used the BasicGrey Wassail pp, and American Craft shimmery ribbon. I added the BG buttons and tied hemp twine through them. I had to deviate from the sketch a wee bit and move the buttons over slightly as Alvin's head was in the road, he he he!

Well, there you have it!!! Thanks for stopping by and having a wee look-see!

Hugs,

Kim & Tara Challenge #3....Christmas Greetings from Tilda with Bell!!

Well, Kim, from Kraftin' Kimmie's Korner and I have another fab challenge to share with you today! We agreed to use Tilda with Bell from the Magnolia Winter StampClub. I just adore Tilda's winter coat, don't you?! She looks so sweet bundled up here with a Silver bell to ring in Christmas day!

Well, I cut a 6X6 card base from Bazzill cardstock. It is a dark teal and it came in the Christmas Bazzill pack that coordinates with the Mind's Eye Christmas paper that I picked up at Micheals! I matched it up with a sheet of Cosmo Cricket Be Good Strip Tease pp that came in a make 'n' take kit from retreat that I went to in November. I cut the strips up until I got the desired look that I wanted and inked the edges. I added some Silver shimmer American craft ribbon and several BG Wassail Brads. The cute holly leaves are a QK 2X2 die that I cut from the Cosmo Cricket pp.

I stamped Tilda on Georgia Pacific paper with Tuxedo Black Memento ink and coloured her in with my Copics and Twinkling H2Os! I rubbed some Metallic Rub-Ons around the edges of the image and added the white highlights with a gel pen. And last but not least, a little Stickles here and there to give it a little sparkle!


I haven't been able to get my hands on any EZ Mount lately but I remembered, Nicky, from Stamping Bella, telling me she doesn't mount any of her stamps anymore and just adheres the rubber on a block with some temporary adhesive. Well, I had to use my new stamps, so, I tried it and it worked like a charm! I think it works best if the stamp is made from high quality rubber and is deeply etched, like the Bella, Magnolia and WOJ stamps.

Now, I am debating if I should even bother mounting my rubber anymore! Oh, What a dilemma, smirk!

To mount or not to mount, that is the question!?

What do you think!? If you have opinion either way, I would love to know what you think the pros and cons are to mounting with EZ mount or not!!!



Well, I struggled a bit with this card...I am not totally happy with it but the more I look at the pics the more it is growing on me! Just one of those things, where what I had in mind, didn't translate to paper! Such is life, I still had fun making this card, playing along with Kim for another Kim & Tara Challenge and using some pp other than Wassail,lol!!! Now, Make sure you hop on over to Kim's blog and check out her super adorable card and the gorgeous new Stampin' up paper that she used!!!

Oh, don't forget to leave me a comment with your opinion on mounting rubber stamps on EZ mount or just leaving them "naked",blush!!!

Thanks for stopping by and having a wee peek!

Hugs,

Exciting news and BG Challenge # 14.....Peace!

Hey! Sorry I've been MIA!!! I have had some busy weekends lately and that is my crafty time! Last Saturday I spent the day at a union meeting, fun wow, and yesterday I had to get snow tires on my van (just in time too, we got snow last night)!!! Doing this kinda practical thing really cuts into my stamping and cardmaking time but snow tires are a must-have, smile!

I brought some images and my Copic markers with me and sat in the coffee shop while I waited!!!! So, I did manage to use my time rather effectively and got more images coloured for all the Christmas cards I am making. I am sure that folks in the coffee shop were wondering why a grown lady was "colouring" though, he, he , he!!!

So, I have some really fabulous news to share! If you have been to the BasicGrey Challenges blog then you may have already seen that I made the DT!!!! I am so thrilled!!! The DT that Martine has assembled is rockin'...check out these fabulously talented ladies.....Chris, Rica, Kim, and Anthea ,as well as, Jo, Kristin, Martine ....Now, I don't officially start until January but I couldn't not play along.

So, here is my card!!! I know, I know, yet another Christmas card. Frankly, I am getting sick of them, so, I know you must be too! But I did use a few new Magnolia images that just miraculously arrived at my house...I wonder how that happened!? Oh, it was a little moment of weakness, lol! I just love this Tilda with the heart Christmas ornament...oh so charming, wink!!!


I stamped Tilda on Georgia Pacific paper with my Black Memento ink and coloured her with my Copics and Twinkling H2Os! I tried to tilt the top image so you can see the subtle twinkling, shimmery, effect that I get when I layer the Twinkling H2Os over my Copics. I just love the look of this and depending on what colour of H2O I use it even adds some shading and depth to the image too! I added the highlights with white acrylic paint and a touch of Stickles here and there.


I used the Floral Fantasy embossing folder as it has some hearts on it and I sanded it to make them stand out a bit more! I added the heart lock with key as the charm, a new K&Company Christmas Cheer metal snowflake brad and the white roses are from my dear blogging friend, Tara.

So, there you have it! Thanks for stopping by to have a wee look-see!

WOJ Guest DT Call....Santa Stop Here!!!!

Well, when I saw that Katharina has a call out for a Guest DT spot for WOJ Stamps, on the WOJ group page, over at Paper Craft Planet, I just had to give it a go!!! Just follow the fabulous sketch that Katherina created that is posted on PCP....go check it out!!! Entries will be accepted until Saturday Dec. 6 th at 8:00 pm GMT and all the deets are here!!!

So, I thought I would continue with my run on Christmas cards. I hope you aren't all sick of them! I just have so many to make that there is not time to deviate from my Christmas card production!!! Now, I think I have a wee glimpse, into the stress Santa must be feeling, right about now, he he he!!!

Again, I used my beloved BG Wassail pp, Kraft cardstock, Bazzill Basics Pomegranate cardstock, and some new white Bazzill cardstock that is embossed with a Swiss Dot pattern...just love this paper! I inked the edges of my pp and cut the QK Digital Design, apple border, on my Silhouette and cut the QK Christmas tag with my Squeeze.

I stamped Willow with Cookies on Georgia Pacific paper with Memento Black Tuxedo ink and coloured her in with my Copic markers and Twinkling H2Os. I add some highlights with white acrylic paint and sparkle with lots of Stickles!!! I sponged Metallic rub-ons around the main image. The sentiment is a QK rub-on that came with the Vixen alphabet gift set a few years ago!!!

Willow has baked up some lovely Apple Hermits for Santa, smile!!! So, I thought it would be only fitting to include the recipe for the Apple Hermits in the card, YUM-O!!! I cut the recipe card on my Silhouette and downloaded the recipe from allrecipes.com , printed it, adhered it to the recipe card (the recipe continues on the back of the card) and clipped it to the American Craft ribbon with a fancy paper clip!!!

Well, there you have it!!! It would be so unbelievably, fabulous to be a guest DT member for WOJ stamps!!! But I know there is some real stiff competition out there, as so many talented ladies, have already uploaded there cards to the PCP WOJ group...go check it out!!! Now, I will just have to keep my fingers crossed and maybe eat a few cookies too!!!

Thanks for stopping by and having a wee look-see! Don't forget to go check out the WOJ group on Paper Craft Planet!!!

BG Challenges # 12.....Ho Ho Ho...Hurry Charlotte! Santa is here!!!!!

Well, I finally made a card for the BG challenges # 12....embossing! I have been using my Cuttlebug embossing folders on all my Christmas cards this year so this was the perfect challenge for me!!! This is # 15 out the 40 cards that I have to make. Somehow this list just keeps getting longer and longer, smile! I hope I can get them all made in time!!!

Well, isn't Charlotte trimming the tree just the cutest image!?I loved colouring it and I am so glad that I decided to use these WOJ stamps on my cards this year!!! They are just so sweet! I coloured this image with my Copics and Twinkling H20s. I added white highlights with acrylic paint and lots of Stickles for some bling!!!

In my blog hopping travels I came across a really great idea for the Qk Goosebumpz dies. Now I can't remember for the life of me, who's fabulous blog it was that I saw this on. Soooo sorry!!! I have several of the Qk embossing dies but I don't really use them that often, so, when I saw this brilliant idea, I knew I had to give it a go!!!! So, I embossed here and there around the edges of the main image and rubbed gold metallic rub-ons over the embossing to make it stand out a little more!!! I think it looks like Charlotte has left trimming the tree to the last minute and Santa is announcing his arrival!!!!

To finish the card off I added some American Craft ribbon and I used the new Star Ribbon slider die. It's one of the Christmas QK 1$ Cookie Cutter dies.

Well, there you have it!

Thanks for stopping by and having a wee look!

WOW!!! Such a beautiful award and sentiment...thanks!!!

WOW! I just wanted to add this quick post cuz I am tickled pink to receive this fabulous award from Tab, Poppy and Sharon!!!! Three very sweet and talented ladies! Thanks!!!!



This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

Here are the 8 crafty bloggers that I would like to pass this award on to (if you've already received it, and many of you have, then no need to pass it on again, smile)

Tab
Martine
Shary
Heather
Jo
Tracie
Tara
Coco

You all have such lovely blogs (I encourage you to go check out their beautiful creations for yourself) and are so kind and generous with your support to all the crafty bloggers out there in the blogosphere!!! I think you all truly espouse the sentiment that accompanies this beautiful award and I am glad to call you friend!

Hugs,