I scrapped!

OK, so last night I actually managed to start a new book and do some of my own scrapping.  I find with planning new classes and then prepping them that I'm not scrapping as much of my own stuff.  Last night, I needed to work on a layout for a challenge for the online crop at Scrapperie this weekend and I had so much fun pulling this together with a combination of new and old!

I fully admit that this layout was inspired by one I saw on Jana Eubank's blog and I'm all good with that.  When you want something to be fun and easy, then make it fun and easy!  I got to play with some new Upsy Daisy papers, a new Cuttlebug embossing folder and a new Fiskars border punch, but also got out some older Making Memories paper, stickers, buttons and lettering!

Anyway, here's the challenge I posted...

Recipe Challenge - use the following on a layout!

An imperfect picture - Feel free to add more than one picture and the other(s) may be perfect if you wish!

Buttons or brads - Your pick!
Journaling on a journaling spot of some kind
A paper technique - tearing, distressing, rolling, etc
Stitching - get out your machine, use a sticker or rub-on, do it by hand - it's all good!
Ink or Paint - Your pick!

Feel free to add other things to your layout as long as it has the items in the above list! I sure did!

My layout has...
An imperfect picture - Fea blurry picture, but it's the only one I have, so I scrapped it!
Buttons or brads - buttons
Journaling on a journaling spot of some kind - done on the block with my title as well
A paper technique - tearing, edge distressing, embossing and punching
Stitching - I used a sticker!
Ink or Paint - ink on a lot of the edges after I edge distressed

Check out this and all the other challenges as well as games and other fun going on all weekend at Scrapperie!

And, yes, I've been saying for ages that I'm going to start reading again and just can't seem to find the time.  Well, I picked up a new book on a whim the other day, The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly, and have started it and am really enjoying it so far.  I used to be a voracious reader and want to get back into it for sure!

The boys have gone to get haircuts this afternoon, Matthew is sleeping and Sophia and I are just kind of hanging out.  A nice quiet afternoon for now...  And then it's off to work for me tonight!

Have a fabulous weekend!
Cheers,

I've actually started!

OK, so I knew I had to make my in-laws a calendar this past Christmas since I hadn't made them one the previous year and got hints about it all year long!  I had given them one the year before that and hadn't realized quite how big a hit it was until I didn't make them one!  Lesson learned...

Now, I knew about this little project all year long and yet ended up creating almost all of it on Boxing Day before we went to their house for dinner!  I decided I wasn't going to do that this year and to help me, I offered to post a Calendar Challenge for Challenge Masters and then actually at Scrapperie as well!  If you play on both sites, it's a 2 for 1 deal!

The above page is the current challenge which is...
Create your page for the month of Fenruary (with or without pictures depending on the type of calendar you're doing) and include something that wouldn't normally be considered a "scrapbooking product". This could mean something recycled (like the packaging from a toy I used in my layout), an office product, a piece of fabric - it's endless! As long as you wouldn't normally find it in your lss, it's all good for this challenge.

I can't possibly tell you how good it feels to be working on this well in advance and know that one of my Christmas presents will be taken care of well before Christmas!

This was the page I did for the challenge last month for the first page of the calendar.  I thought I had posted it actually and realized I hadn't.  I can post the pages here without worry either since my in-laws won't see them. (No internet if you can believe it?!  Can't imagine!).  You'll be seeing more in the months to come!  Come and play!

Guess it's off to bed for me!

Cheers,

Scrappy Goodness!

OK, so is it just me or are other people having this problem with loading pics.  It only wants to load in this orientation and no matter what I do, I can't flip it?!  Weird!

So, I have some gift certificates from work that I have been "saving" for all the new CHA product once it started rolling in and it certainly has been lately!  I finally got a few things last night.  Look at all that lovely new paper and I love the new Cuttlebog embossing folder with the stars - perfect for boys.  And, of course, the always practical refill for the adhesive I recently got.

Of course, I still have a stash of things at work I need to get and I know there's more coming.  The hard part is the picking and choosing.  Well, and then there's finding the time to actually use it which is a whole other story!

This was posted at the beginning of the month, but better late than never - the new challenge at the Christmas Cards All Year Round blog!  The challenge for the month of March is to use mostly green on your card and ...snowmen!

Leave a comment if you do our challenge! Please only enter NEW CARDS that are made in MARCH.

*Remember, if you do 5 cards this month following the challenge, your name will go into a draw for a prize at the end of MARCH! (this challenge CAN be combined with any other blog or forum challenges that you do this month.)

Please upload your cards to your blog, a gallery, or photobucket and remember to give us the EXACT links to see them. You can do 5 of the same cards or 5 different ones (as long as they follow the current challenge) If you do 5 of the same, please show us a picture of them altogether. Thanks!

YOU NEED TO LET US KNOW IN THIS POST WHEN YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE 5 CARDS IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE MONTHLY PRIZE.

We can't wait and see what you create this month! Have fun!
Cheers,

Ramblings from Sick House...

OK, so I was reading blogs this morning and when I saw Nicole's title, I totally thought of our house and how things have gone of late.  So, yes, it's been ages since I blogged and after doing so well there for a little while too. 

We have literally been sick in our house (and Tracy's for that matter) for about a month now.  First of all, Matthew (my nephew who I care for 4 days a week) got sick with the flu and it slowly made it's way through pretty much all of us in both houses in varying degrees.  Then, just when everyone seemed to getting better I thought, Kyle came down with a nasty bug that turned into a trip to emergency last Tuesday only to find out he had pneumonia.  That was the end of the week of school for him and that was after being away a few days with the flu bug too!  Poor kid!

Now, Sophia didn't do very well either.  She had the flu quite badly and then this cold developed into croup for her, so she had a trip to the hospital this week!  The rest of us have had good days and bad, but I'm hoping we're on the other side for now!

It has been an amazing couple of weeks with the Olympics here as well!  I'm not sure I can even put into words what it was like and the energy and unbelievable patriotism that was shown here.  I know some people from other countries have claimed that it was "un-Canadian", but we're all very proud of what our athletes accomplished and how the city came together in so many ways to host a wonderful winter games!

I was also lucky enough to be able to go and see an event - speedskating at the Richmond Oval.  Tracy and Brian won a VIP package and were only going to be able to see part of the event because of an overlap with the hockey game they were going to, so she managed to get Dad and I in to see the speedskating and it was so much fun to be there.  We didn't see any Canadians medal that day, but we did see some of the women who would later medal in the games!  It was also the day that Maelle Ricker won her gold and the place went nuts when they announced it there!

- I've been busy with work and classes
- George was volunteering during the Olympics (driving)
- Kyle is still enjoying his Hip Hop dance classes on Thursdays
- the preschool has now been closed for 2 weeks due to a flood
- Kyle has his class picture taken this week and he came home with another wonderful report card this week
- totally happy that I finally managed to order PVR service today and they'll be here Monday for the instal!
- a 2 week Spring Break starts at 3pm today essentially
- the boys are registered for a one week karate class starting Monday

It just seems like there has been so much going on around here between school, classes, sick people, work, doctors, etc!  I don't know that Spring Break will slow anything down, but I'm hoping for a pj day in there somewhere, but without people being sick!

George was going to be away for Spring Break volunteering for the Paralympics, but that has changed and he's now working next week and will have the second week off to hang out with us.  Let's hope the weather is still nice!

I'll hopefully catch up with posting some scrappy stuff in the next day or two as well, but here's a layout I did as a class sample for the From Sketch to Scrapped Class that I do monthly now.  It was based on a great sketch (with permission) from the always fabulous Jana Eubank.

Have a fabulous weekend and hope it's healthy!
Cheers,