The Cheeky Designer

Heartfelt Sentiments!!

2012-02-02T07:57:00.000-05:00

Happy February Everyone!!! Although outside it feels more like the end of March, crazy winter we are having here in SW Ontario!!! Today I am sharing Scrappin' Great Deals February Scrapbooking Kit, its theme "Heartfelt Sentiments"!! It will be available for sale later today or tomorrow.

Full of designer paper by Lily Bee, Basic Grey, Kaiser and MME, with a ton of co-ordinating embellishments!!! Love is in the air, in the shades of pink & turquoise!!!

Here is one of the three layouts I made with this kit, a wedding picture of my valentine, my hubby: (side note: wow does he look young! It was 9 years ago!!)

Lots of fussy cutting, distressing, embosssing, stencilling.., my usual!! I don't know that I have ever used grey in a layout before, but it certainly looks nice with the turquoise of the Kaiser & Lily Bee papers!!

So there you are, I'll share more over the next couple of days!

If I had a Flower......

2012-01-31T07:37:00.000-05:00

How adorable are the new Inky Impessions stamps?!!? Well to inspire ME to make a card they have to be pretty darn adorable!!! You can pop over to Scrappin' Great Deals blog for all the details!!!

Have an amazing day everyone!!!!

Heart Canvas

2012-01-17T10:01:00.001-05:00

I really enjoy altered art, and I thoroughly enjoyed making this canvas!! It started out as a blank 6" x 6" canvas from Canvas Corp, that I got at my favourite store: Scrappin' Great Deals. With a little Glimmer Mist, a homemade mask, lots of rolled paper, and rolled flowers (all from the new Basic Grey line Kissing Booth), and a final spritz of both Goosebumps and Perfect Pearls Mist, it all came together!!!

I am offering this project as a class at Scrappin' Great Deals on February 5, 2012, 11 - 2, $25.00!!! Thanks for popping in and have a great day!!

Bundle Up!!

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

This is the second layout I did with Scrappin' Great Deals January Scrapbooking Kit. My little guy is VERY helpful! He loves working with me, be it inside cooking dinner or shovelling the sidewalks! I hope he doesn't grow out of it!

I love Maya Roads Snowflakes, both the translucent ones and the vintage wood:

Have a fantastic day!!

Snow Peeps

2012-01-03T10:16:00.000-05:00

What a winter wonderland out there!! So much snow has fallen in London and area over the last 24 hrs and it is still falling!! I have a layout from Scrappin' Great Deals January Scrapbooking kit to share with you today. Appropriately it is titled "Snow Peeps"

I used some lovely paper from Fancy Pants and Echo Park, lace from Maya Road, some die cut snowflakes, the white pearls were coloured orange with Copics, as was the Fancy Pants alpha. I love the pink colour they are originally, but it just didn't go with the picture! A close up:

I used a fabulous new snowflake border punch from EK Success, and I covered the blue flakes with rock candy stickles and the alphas have Glass Effects on top to pop them up a bit.

Hope you all enjoy your snow day today, as much as these three kids did last week!!

Believe in the Magic!!

2011-12-13T10:20:00.000-05:00

I used a Tim Holtz District Market Burlap Panel - Memoirs, as a foundation for this canvas to display a picture of my kids with Santa! The picture is held on with a memo pin, so you can change it every year!!

Tim Holtz Products used:

Memoirs Burlap Panel
Tattered Pine Cone Sizzix Bigz Die
Kraft Glassine Paper
Alcohol Inks: Oregano, Mushroom, Bottle
Winter Sketchbook Stamp Set
Limited Edition Winter Distress Ink Set
Limited Edition Fall Distress Ink Set
Core-dinations Cardstock
Christmas Memories Kraft Resist Paper
Kraft Resist Chipboard Alpha
Picket Fence Distress Stain
Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint
Memo Pin
Other Products:

Prima Alphabet Stickers
Maya Road White Transparent Snowflakes
Maya Road Wood Snowflakes
Platinum Stickles
Kaiser Craft Paper Flowers
Encore Champagne Metallic Ink
Spellbinders Holly & Ornament Die
Bazzill Chipboard Flourishes

You can pop over to Scrappin' Great Deals' blog for some more details and close up pictures!!! Happy Holidays!!

The Road of Good Intentions!

2011-12-08T14:18:00.000-05:00

Let's just say my December Daily Album may turn into my December Weekly Album!!!

I will share this with you:

This is my annual photo collage that I will be putting in my Christmas Cards this year. My store bought Christmas Cards! Yikes!!

More December Daily to share!

2011-12-06T14:19:00.002-05:00

I have finally managed to print out some pictures and do the journalling to get my December Daily almost up to date!!! I am on Day 4, so not TOO far behind!!! Here are my pages so far:

Day One:

Day Two:

Day Three, two pages:

Day Four, is a full page picture with the lettering added using Photoshop Elements:

And there we are so far!! I hope to get up to date tonight, as long as I don't get lost on the road to good intentions!! Day 5 & 6, here I come!!!

Want to win some blog candy??

2011-12-06T09:06:00.000-05:00

All you have to do is pop over to Scrappin' Great Deals blog this week and leave a comment on every post!! The more comments you leave the greater your chance of winning!! You can read Sarah's post from yesterday that gives all the details - click here!! Good Luck!!

And stay tuned for more pictures from my December Daily Album!!

Day One & Two!

2011-12-02T12:00:00.000-05:00

Those good intentions get me every time!! December the 2nd and already I am behind on my album! How does this happen! Life, that is what, but I am okay with that! I spent last night getting in the Christmas spirit by decorating out at Scrappin' Great Deals, in preparation for their big Anniversay Event that happens tomorrow!

Anyway, I will now show you the interior of the first two pages of my album, minus the photos and journalling! At least I am part of the way there!!!

A little close up of the holly along the side of the journal card:

I discovered Platinum stickles! How did I not know that this colour existed! Totally in love with it! So that is it for today! Stay tuned for more!

By the way, if you are interested in learning more about the concept of a December Daily album, this incredible artist - Ali Edwards, is I believe, the originator of the idea. She has some amazing ideas to share!!

'Tis the Start of the Season!!

2011-12-01T11:42:00.000-05:00

Welcome December! The most wonderful time of the year!! Today is the release of Scrappin' Great Deals December Kits, and I have the Scrapbooking Kit to share with you today! It's theme: An Enchanted Christmas!!

(Full details about this magical kit and the kit clubs can be found here!)

I blogged earlier about using the kit to create my very first December Daily Album. Today I have a little snippet to show you of the first page of it:

Love this cute little guy popping out of a box!!! He is another fabulous Mo Manning Image by Stamping Bella! I coloured him with my pencil crayons and mineral spirits. The number one is chipboard coloured with a fabulous new colour of Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze - Chianti!! Add a little Tsukineko champagne metallic ink to the edges and it is perfection!! The holly is cut from a Tim Holtz mover & shaker die - Tree & Holly, and has also been treated to a little champagne!!

I will show you the whole page after I add the pictures I took this morning of my two boys opening their Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar. (I might be missing the Christmas connection there?? When did Star Wars = Christmas???) Ah well, they were both happy! And that is part of the Christmas spirit at least!

Enjoy your day!

December Daily Albums

2011-11-29T10:26:00.000-05:00

Good morning everyone!! It is non stop rain here in Southwestern Ontario! I can't believe how much it has rained since last night! It is a great day to cuddle in and do some blog hopping! I did some of that last week and what I found reminded me of a project that I had planned to start ages ago. (Ages being years!) Have you heard of a December Daily Album?? I was on the Fancy Pants blog last week and the design team were showcasing their takes on it. (You can read it here.)

Basically a December Daily Album is a journal, notebook, or album that you prepare prior to December 1, leaving spaces for pictures, journalling, letters to Santa, etc., that you add during the month of December giving you a complete documentation of the holiday season! The theory being you are less busy in October/November so you do the bulk of the work before the craziness of the holidays begin!

This is my year to start this tradition that if all goes according to plan, I will continue for many years to come!! I decided to take Scrappin' Great Deals' December's Scrapbooking Kit and make my first December Daily Album!! Here is a glimpse at the kit that will be released later this week:

On Saturday at Scrappin' Great Deals' all day crop I was able to get my album pages cut out, the front and back cover are chipboard covered in patterned paper, and then I used the Cinch to cut the holes in preparation for it to be bound. I then started working on the front cover:

Needless to say I am still working on the rest!! I have two more days until December 1st!! It will be a busy couple of nights I have to admit. I hope you come back in December when I will start showing the interior!!

Have a fantastic day!!

Christmas Colouring Page

2011-11-25T13:31:00.000-05:00

Remember those colouring contests you used to enter as a child, at Easter, Valentines Day, Christmas? Well I got to make a Christmas colouring page for the company my husband works for! (I did one back at Easter as well, you can have a look at it here!) It's a cute little page with the company mascot - Smart Dough Joe - all dressed up for the holidays!

Happy Holidays!!

He Dreams of Australia!

2011-11-24T10:12:00.000-05:00

This is the latest layout that I have had the privilege of having published in Canadian Scrapbooker! It is in the Winter 2011 issue that was just delivered to my door yesterday and will be in stores December 1!! I made this layout as a guest designer at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps, using one of her "Travelling Girls" titled "Donna", (coincidently she is on sale right now!! 40% off!!)

JOY

2011-11-22T10:14:00.002-05:00

Good morning everyone!! I hope you are having a great start to the week! I just wanted to thank all the lovely ladies who took my Scrapbooking Techniques class last Friday! It was wonderful working with you all and I hoped you enjoyed the class! The technique this time was "Fussy Cutting". We practiced using both scissors and cutting blades. Both have their pros and cons, but in the end both are necessary to make the most of the technique. After we practiced, I handed out some Christmas paper and we worked on putting together a little 6 x 6 collage using our fussy cut pieces.

Here is what I came up with:

My next class in the series will be in January. Keep an eye on the Scrappin' Great Deals website - crops and classes for further details!!

Have a fantastic day!!

Fussy Cutting

2011-11-15T16:02:00.001-05:00

This coming Friday, November the 18th, I am teaching my second workshop of Scrapbook Techniques at Scrappin' Great Deals. The first workshop, we went over methods to alter cardstock to create custom backgrounds. We stamped, embossing, misted and had a lot of fun! Some of my stamps have never seen such use!! This next workshop we will play with a technique called "fussy cutting". That is the term for finely cutting out details from patterned paper such as this, the butterflies were fussy cut from a piece of Bo-bunny patterned paper:

Fussy cut elements add dimension to your layouts, another layer of interest. It is not a difficult skill to learn; you just need practice, practice, practice, but it is quite time consuming. At the workshop, that is what we will do - practice practice practice!! We will go over what scissors to use, when to use an exacto blade, and perhaps most importantly, how to look at a piece of patterned paper and see it's full potential!!

If you would like to join us, there are a couple spots left! Just give the store a call at 519-473-5751 to register by Nov. 16.

Details: Friday, November 18, 2011 7-9pm
Price: $20.00 - BONUS - Stay to crop until midnight for free!!

Hope you can join us!!!

The Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-08T10:05:00.000-05:00

This is my latest layout created using the November Scrapbooking Kit from Scrappin' Great Deals! Our Trip to the Pumpkin Patch!! My son Malcolm, my nephew Alex & I had a fantastic day at that farm petting animals, playing games and searching for the perfect pumpkin. These pictures were way back from 2007, the boys look so young!

A couple of close ups, (double layouts are so hard for me to photograph!)

I sure got a work out pulling two sleds full of pumpkins & three year olds!! It sure was a great day. Really happy that I scrapped the pictures finally and remembered all the fun we had!

Natural Beauty

2011-11-02T11:31:00.002-04:00

I simply can't stop looking at this layout!! Actually at one of the pictures I used in the layout, how stunning is she? A forest princess, pixie, fairy child - you name it, she is it!

I don't think I could have gone wrong with this picture as the focus of my page. In fact I probably could have just put it on a plain piece of cardstock and said "Done." But of course I didn't and created this:

Love the blues and oranges together, that brown lace from May Arts- WOW, petaloo flowers, prima resin birdhouse, specks of glimmer glaze popped around, die cut leaves to mimic her crown, love love love! :)

Me & You Together

2011-11-01T08:00:00.008-04:00

Welcome to November!! I hope you had a fantastic Halloween and that it didn't rain too much on your trick or treaters!!

Scrappin' Great Deals is releasing their November Scrapbooking Kits today and here is the kit, with its theme Autumn Journeys:

Love all the bold colours and the mix of warm and cool tones. Lots of paper in this kit, as always!! And a ton of embellishments too!

Here is one of my layouts, titled "Me & You Together":

It uses some of the SEI paper that is in the kit along with Bazzill cardstock. I used one of my new Spellbinders, Orchard Harvest, to create the maple leaves in the upper corner. Included in the kit is a solid brass maple leaf made by Vintaj, a brand new product in the store. It is called a "blank" because it is meant to be embossed!! That is right!! I embossed it to create the lovely little veins that you see!!! How awesome is that! A little close up of it:

I used the cricut cartridge "Graphically Speaking" to cut out the title using cardstock. I then used my Cowboy Glimmer Glaze (by Tattered Angels) on the brown cardstock to give it some texture & depth; love how it now looks metallic!

I will show you another double page layout that I also made with the kit in the next day or so (as soon as I finish it up!! In the mean time you can pop over to the store's blog to see my layout titled "Natural Beauty", I gave you a sneak peak of it yesterday!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Autumn Journeys

2011-10-31T14:05:00.000-04:00

That is the theme of Scrappin' Great Deals November Scrapbooking Kit! I love Autumn, it is my favourite season and I LOVE this months kit! Can't wait to share it with you. Here is a little sneak peak of the kit:

And a little peak at what I created with it:

Sheila was back this month creating with me, and WOW her layouts are spectacular!! Come back tomorrow for the big reveal!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

SGD's Famous 12 Hour Special is now on!!!

2011-10-26T13:18:00.000-04:00

Enjoy savings of up to 50% on over 125 wonderful products! You can click here to view what's on sale this week! Plus, save 35% on Designer Paper! Our Paper Gallery is overflowing with the most beautiful selection ... we have something for everyone! Paper special applies to individual sheets of 12x12 Designer paper found in our Paper Gallery. These special offers are available only while supplies last, until Friday, October 28 @ midnight! Sale items will not be backordered; no rain-checks or substitutions - Shop early for best selection! You are welcome to shop from the comfort of your own home or come & visit us at our little piece of Scrapbooking & Stamping heaven!!

Halloween Logo!

2011-10-18T13:35:00.000-04:00

Aimee is truly an outstanding artist!!! Love the seasonal logos she does for Scrappin' Great Deals!!!

Goodfellas!!

2011-10-11T09:00:00.002-04:00

Here are a scary pair! My oldest two nephews dressed up at a booth at the CNE a few years ago. I love the pictures but good thing I knew it was just an act! They played their parts very well, perhaps a little TOO well!

This is my last layout using the October Scrapbooking Kit from Scrappin' Great Deals. I used the Graphic 45 papers and the 7 Gypsies for the background and then cut out a bunch of paper embellishments from some Echo Park and Pink Paislee paper. I really do love combining different manufacturers on one page. Such a challenge to make sure the colours match!!

You can pop over to the store blog - here - for more details on this page!!! Thanks for popping in and have a great day!

Boo!!

2011-10-09T08:00:00.003-04:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Here is Layout Number Two, made from Scrappin' Great Deals October Scrapbooking Kit, Titled Boo:

I created my own little pumpkin patch using my Cricut and last years special edition Halloween cartridge. I LOVE those pumpkins!! I brushed on some black soot distress ink around the edges, then I covered them with Rock Candy Crackle Paint to give them some interesting texture. I did the same with the title BOO, which is included in the kit and cut out of a new Tim Holtz Sizzix die.

I love my little tiger and dinosaur!! This year it is going to be a monster and Captain Jack Sparrow!!

Well, I have one more layout to show, and will have it for you on Tuesday!!! Thanks for popping by and Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Not Spooky Enough?

2011-10-07T11:29:00.004-04:00

Good day everyone!! Tuesday, October 11th is the release day for Scrappin' Great Deals October Scrapbooking Kit!! Sorry to keep you waiting this month, but hopefully you will agree it has been worth it!!

Here is the "Oh so spooky" kit, it's theme "Halloween, of course!":

It is stuffed full of designer paper from Echo Park, Pink Paislee, Graphic 45, 7 Gypsies and Bo-bunny; co-ordinating Bazzill cardstock; a ton of embellishments, alphas & stickers from Pink Paislee, Tim Holtz, Prima, Autumn Leaves, Authentique, Want 2 Scrap, and Canvas Corp.!!! Love those bright greens and oranges mixed with the black!!

Sheila took a break this month, but I have 3 layouts to share with you over the next few days!!! I LOVE Halloween!!

Layout One: Not Spooky Enough?

I loved the collaged look of one of the papers included in the kit but found it a bit too bold for my layout so I used my new Picket Fence Distress Stain to cover it entirely. This stain is semi-transparent so it allows the patterns to be seen while it tones down the colour. Here is a picture of the paper prior to staining it:

I was very impressed with how it looked after covering it up, it suited my layout much better!!! After the stain dried (very quickly I must add), I splashed on some drops of glimmer mist - Black Magic and Autumn Harvest; distressed edges and tore paper; these little clothes pins are cute little embellishments - a close up:

The pins were white and too bright so I covered them in Spiced Marmalade & Black Soot Distress Ink; I punched out some pumpkins using my EK Success border punch; the clear buttons were coloured green using an alcohol based marker (not Copics, gasp!); Firefly Stickles covered some punched cardstock circles; basically a lot of layers, distressing!!

Here are a couple of peaks of my other two layouts that I will show over the weekend:

Just to keep you coming back of course!! More details on the techniques I used will be posted on the store blog over the next couple of weeks, so make sure you check in there every once in a while!! You can also pop over to the store's website for a complete description of the kit and the kit club membership - click here!! Thanks for looking and have a great day in this sunshine!!!

Sizzix, Hero Arts and Twinkling H2Os!!

2011-10-04T09:32:00.000-04:00

Scrappin' Great Deals has some incredible new stamp sets in stock! A pairing between Hero Arts and Sizzix!! They are offering stamp sets with coordinating embossing folders or dies!! How fabulous is that?!?! My card today features a stamp and embossing folder set. Head over to the SGD blog for more details!!

How about a little sneak peak??

2011-10-03T10:38:00.002-04:00

Well with all the excitement of National Card Making Day, and the launch of Scrappin' Great Deals new and improved website - the release of the October Kits is going to be a little delayed!! However, I do have a little sneaky peak of the Scrapbooking kit:

And just to get you in the mood for Halloween, here is a layout that I made from LAST years October kit, that I was fortunate to have published in the Fall 2011 issue of Canadian Scrapbooker - titled SPOOKY:

Have a great day!!

Get over to Scrappin' Great Deals tomorrow!!!

2011-09-30T08:43:00.000-04:00

National Card Making Day!!

Join us Saturday, October 1^st: 10am – 3pm

Sit with our Designers & make an adorable card

(limit one card per person – while supplies last)

In lieu of any fees for this event we are asking that you bring in some canned goods to help support our local Food Bank. Together we will help those who need it most before the cold winter hits!!

Let’s see how much food we can collect!!

Door prizes every ½ hour from 10am – 3pm

Grand Prize: Vagabond Machine by Tim Holtz!!

In-Store Specials …. Hope to see you there!!

(You must be 18 years or older to enter our draws today)

Please come to this FREE event and join in the celebration!!!

Happy Anniversary!!

2011-09-27T10:17:00.000-04:00

It has become a family tradition on my husband's side to get married on September 27. Both his grandparents and his parents both wed on that day. When we were choosing our date we both wanted a fall wedding, and September 27 fell on a Saturday that year. It was fate! How could we not pick that day? So we were the 3rd generation to have our anniversary on this day, which is today! So Happy Anniversary to us and to my inlaws. They are celebrating their 42th today.

Here is their card, a simple little one I made last night:

Check out SGD's blog for the card I gave to my hubby this morning. You will notice the similarity!!!

Scallywags!!!

2011-09-26T12:08:00.001-04:00

The last birthday of the month...FINALLY!! Happy Birthday to my Malcolm! We had a Pirate Party to celebrate with his good buds. Pirate costumes were optional but a bunch of them got in the spirit and came dressed as their fav pirate! Captain Jack was well represented!

Malcolm discovering the cannon hole:

AAAARH!!

Everyone had to walk the plank!:

Skeletons adorned all the loot bags:

13 kids - one table - lots of pizza!:

Cake!!!

Oh Happy Day!!!

It was a great party!!!

Big Sale at Scrappin' Great Deals!!!

2011-09-21T09:15:00.001-04:00

Save 25% on Spellbinders & Cuttlebug!!

(pre-orders & clearance excluded)

plus …

Save up to 50% on over 75 products throughout store

(while supplies last – no backorders)

plus …

With every $25 (pre-tax) purchase receive FREE Stickles!!

Above offers valid only until Friday, Sept. 23 @ midnight!

(These special offers cannot be combined with any other offer/coupons)

CLICK HERE TO SHOP YOUR HEART OUT!!!

LaBlanche Stamps and Mixed Media Ink!

2011-09-20T10:06:00.000-04:00

WOW is September a busy month! One more birthday to go and my anniversary and then the crazy days are behind us!!! It has been tough fitting any crafting in but I managed to last night.

I have a post up at the Scrappin' Great Deals blog that showcases one stamp and two looks. Here is one of the cards, my favourite of the two:

Pop over to the blog for details!! Have a fantastic day!! I am off to plan a pirate themed party for the weekend!

Happy Birthday Benny!!!

2011-09-13T10:17:00.000-04:00

My not so little 3 year old! How cute is he?!?! Too cute, and doesn't he know it!! Happy Birthday Benny Boy!!!

My first Tutorial!!

2011-09-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

Well it isn't a video but it is step by step photos on creating my latest layout! Check out Scrappin' Great Deals blog today and check it out!! See how these:

All combined to make this:

Thanks for looking and have a great day!!!

Vintage Romance!!

2011-09-02T08:00:00.002-04:00

Good morning everyone!! I hope you checked out Scrappin' Great Deals blog yesterday! I am so thrilled to be a part of such an amazing team of designers and working with Andrea is always a joy!!!For today I have the reveal of SGD's September's Scrapbooking Kit - it will be available later today for purchase!!

Here is the kit: this month's theme is Vintage Romance!!

The Printery line from Prima, Portrait by Crate Paper and Love Games by Glitz!!! Embellishments from 7 Gypsies, Prima, Glitz, Fancy Pancy, Tim Holtz, MME!! Co-ordinating Bazzill cardstock, tattered florals and flourishes, butterflies......Lovely.

I have one layout to show you today. I was inspired by this kit to make a layout using my Grandparents wedding picture.

I will have a full tutorial on how I created this layout next week, so make sure you check back in on Tuesday!! There is 6 hours of work on this one!! It seemed to take forever, Sheila kept telling me to glue it down for goodness sake!!

Thanks for looking and have a fantastic Labour Day weekend!

Happy September!!

2011-09-01T09:23:00.000-04:00

Scrappin' Great Deals

has some exciting news over on their blog today!!

Make sure you check it out!!

There may be some blog candy in it for you!!

I Coloured with Something called Copics??!!

2011-08-31T12:20:00.000-04:00

Yes, Andrea let me play with her markers! I coloured up a little Stamping Bella image with them. I am quite happy how it turned out! They are definitely a great marker, equal quality to the Pantone's that I have in my stash. Here is the image on the card I made for my bff's birthday:

I have no idea the colours I used! Thanks again Andrea for sharing!!

Vintage Romance!!

2011-08-29T13:45:00.000-04:00

That is the theme of the upcoming scrapbooking kit for September at Scrappin' Great Deals!! And here is a glimpse of what it contains for your crafting pleasure!!!

Sheila and I played with the kit on Saturday at the all day crop and here is a tiny peak of the one layout I have manage to finish so far!!

Thanks for looking and have a fantastic day!!

Fly High!!

2011-08-24T15:04:00.002-04:00

Awesome new stamps at Scrappin' Great Deals from The Cat's Pajamas!! Really cute little bunnies, but it was the little penguin holding a kite titled "Up Up & Away" that caught my eye. My youngest moved up to the preschool room at his daycare, leaving the "Penguin" room behind. A couple of thank you cards were in order for his two incredible educators and I thought the sentiment "Up, Up & Away, Let's Take Off Fly High" was perfect because that is exactly what they let him do!

I coloured up the little guy using my Derwent pencil crayons and Odourless Mineral Spirits, cut it out and pop dotted it to the designer paper. I used some of the 6x6 MME Paper - Fly a Kite from the Lime Twist Collection. Fit Perfectly!! A few little Pebble Candy Dots in the corner, and voila!! You can check out the other card (it is almost identical!) here on the SGD blog!!

Thanks for looking! Have a great day!!

The Boo Crew!!

2011-08-21T01:00:00.003-04:00

OOPS, some technical difficulties, but here we go now!!

Welcome to another Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Blog Hop!!! Like so many others, I have been waiting for this release very eagerly!! I LOVE Halloween!!!! And once again, Kimmie's artists do not disappoint!! Fantastic images!! A "Treat" indeed!!

The details:

As you’ve seen over the last few days in our Krafty Peeks, we have lots of SPOOKTACULAR new stamps for you to play with for HALLOWEEN! There are three new ADORABLE LITTLE WITCHIES from Cheryl Alger, five new HALLOWEEN FUN stamps from Emilie Goulet and six awesome new BATTY PRINCESS AND FRIENDS stamps from Annie Rodrigue!!

You will get to see most of the new images today as you sit back and enjoy our KREEPY Krafty Hop! If you want to start from the beginning, just head over to the Kraftin’ KimmieChallenge Blog! As you hop from blog to blog, be sure to leave a comment at each and every stop because some lucky stampers will win packages of these frightening stamps from the new release!! And when you’re done hoppin’, be sure to head over to the Kraftin’Kimmie shop, because ALL the new images are NOW available!

And of course, as always, we have our Gimme Kimmies Kits available for those of you who ‘need it all’!! The stamps are grouped together by artist and are available at a discount, but only for a limited time!!

My Layout today is titled "The Boo Crew" and it features my son Malcolm and three of his very lovely "girl" friends, as they were out trick or treating last year:

I have used 4 images in total on my layout, one of Annie's (Mr. Punkinhead), 2 of Emilie's (Haunting Hilda & Frank n Kittie) and 1 of Cheryl's (You're a Treat).

The background paper is MME and I stamped all the images on co-ordinating MME paper in Black Soot ink, and embossed also with Black Soot embossing powder to set the ink. The images were all cut out and then I watercoloured the images with the black soot ink, marmalade ink and walnut distress stain. The orange and tan paper are from Pink Paislee, the jack o lanterns, pumpkin, bats, web, and tree are all cut from the cricut . I used a script stamp from Tim Holtz and a flourish stamp from IO to add some detail to the background, the title alpha are from chipboard letters, by Maya Road, coloured in marmalade distress ink, and misted with Harvest Orange glimmer mist. I layered everything, glued it all down, and scattered around some Pebbles Candy dots that were just too bright so I muted them down with some black soot ink. I think that is about it! Some close up of the images are in order! The paper I stamped them on had a subtle resist on it that added some interested texture to the images.

Make sure you hop on over to Tracy's blog for your next stop! And make sure you leave a comment to be eligible for the prize!!! Happy Hopping!!

Extreme Rides

2011-08-17T16:03:00.000-04:00

Here is Malcolm with his Aunt Julia on the Ridge Runner at Blue Mountain. I am VERY glad that he has her to take him on these extreme adventures!!!! He had a blast!

Prima, Glitz & Crate Paper

2011-08-12T09:46:00.001-04:00

That's some of the content of Scrappin' Great Deals September Scrapbooking Kit!!! I was up WAY past my bedtime last night getting it put together, and let me say "It is STUNNING!!" Can't wait to show you a sneak peak of all the scrappy goodness, creams, browns & greens!! Now to get assembling!!

Have a fantastic day!

My Little Pirate!

2011-08-05T13:48:00.000-04:00

He is just too cute!! It was pirate day at daycare last week. He was thrilled to dress up!!!

Jump!!

2011-08-04T07:15:00.004-04:00

Here is Layout Number Three made from Scrappin' Great Deals August Scrapbooking Kit, titled: Jump!!

I used a stamp from Tim Holtz Grunge Stamp set, stamping it repeatedly in Distressed Marmalade and I then embossed the images with Clear powder - all to create my border. I then used my Fiskars wave border punch to make "waves" out of some of the Fancy Pants paper found in the kit - love this look. I saw it most recently on a card that Krista made a while back. Thanks for the idea!!! I scattered around some of the Bo-bunny stickers that were in the kit, some ribbon and buttons, the die-cut sun.

I love they way Alex & Malcolm jumped repeatedly into the pool - such freedom and joy!

Well, I have one more layout about 2/3rds done. I am going to try and finish it up soon but for now I have a landscape plan I need to finish up for Saturday! (Don't worry Carol - it'll be done!!)

Laughter, Water & Rainbows

2011-08-03T07:00:00.001-04:00

Here is the second layout I made using Scrappin' Great Deals August Scrapbooking Kit. This was such a fun afternoon to remember! My kids are water magnets, the sprinkler water was so cold...it was only early June, but did they care? NO!! My husband kept luring the kids into the sprinkler when it was off, they would lean in, and SPLASH he would turn on the water! A ton of screaming, laughing...it was the best!! Malcolm kept saying he saw rainbows and when I looked at the pictures after...sure enough there it was!!

I cut up strips from the Echo Park paper to make my own rainbow, and cut out the splashes from the Fancy Pants paper for the water. I used my new Fiskars wave border punch to make the sun's rays, did some stitching using my Sew Easy, around the sun and the border. I have a brand new favourite mist - from October Afternoon - lovely colour and no glimmer - sometimes you don't want glimmer!! I sprayed the white cardstock with the mist - (colour is night sky), after placing some cut out clouds around. I also used Viva Decor's Pearl Pen in Icy White - but definitely need more work - my pearls are more of a freshwater type!!

Thanks for stopping by!!! One more to share tomorrow!! Have a super day!

SGD's August Scrapbooking Kit Reveal!!

2011-08-02T20:43:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest scrapbooking kit from Scrappin' Great Deals - "Fun in the Summertime!" Just look at all that fantastic colour!! Oodles of paper from Bo-bunny, Echo Park, Pink Paislee and Fancy Pants!! A ton of co-ordinating cardstock and embellishments. I had so much fun with this kit!! Here is my first layout to share:

Beach Bum

I made my own little beachy ocean scene with the die cut paper from Bo-bunny's Barefoot & Bliss line as a background. I cut a few strips from the Fancy Pants paper, used the Cricut and the Life's a Beach cartridge to cut out the seaweed & coral, the goldfish and star fish were in the kit along with the gold fish brads, the orange flowers were actually the Kaiser Craft light pink rhinestones and I coloured them up orange using a copic marker (thanks Andrea!); the title card "Beach" was cut from the October Afternoon manilla card, and some Thickers finished off the title, some journalling on the Fancy Pants Card and I was all set. A perfect backdrop to showcase my little guy Malcolm's first trip to the lake!

I will show the next two layouts over the next couple of days....just to keep you coming back!!! Have a great night! See you tomorrow!!

How about a little sneak peak??

2011-07-26T09:36:00.001-04:00

Guess what this is??!!

Yep, a little sneak peak of the upcoming August Scrapbooking Kit for Scrappin' Great Deals!!

Summertime Fun!!

Jumping with Abandon!

2011-07-21T10:34:00.000-04:00

Look at these guys! Jumping so carefree into the pool! LOVE it! My nephew and older son, just having the best time, over, and over again, jumping, jumping, jumping!

Watch for a layout with these pics coming soon!!

He dreams of Australia!!

2011-07-17T01:00:00.002-04:00

Welcome!!! Today Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps is releasing their new JULY stamps!

As you’ve seen over the last few days in our Krafty Peeks, we have AMAZING new stamps for you to play with this month! To start things off we have a very elegant Sympathy Set featuring a gorgeous floral image by Emilie Goulet, along with several coordinating sentiments. We have three new Back to School images from Cheryl Alger, five new Outdoor Fun stamps from Emilie Goulet and six awesome new Traveling Girls from Annie Rodrigue!!

You will get to see most of the new images while you sit back and enjoy our Krafty Hop If you want to start from the beginning, just head over to the Kraftin’ Kimmie Challenge Blog! As you hop from blog to blog, be sure to leave a comment at each and every stop because some lucky stampers will win packages of stamps from the new release!! And when you’re done hoppin’, be sure to head over to the Kraftin’ Kimmie shop, because ALL the new images are NOW available!

If you are following the hop you should have arrived here from Hannah's blog!!

I chose to play with one of Annie's Traveling Girls for today's hop....Donna (named after the fabulous Aussie Krafty Girl!) Now my son has had a thing for Australia since he first watched Steve Irwin's Crocodile Hunter video. He is an Australia expert, not only does he like the popular well known animals, ie. Kangaroos and Koalas, he can tell you about monitor lizards, echidnas, their habitats and he even has a stuffed wombat. He has a treasure trove of knowledge in that head of his! I hope his dream comes true one day. We are saving our pennies!

Here is my layout: He dreams of Australia:

The map of Australia was printed on plain copy paper, mod-podged to cardstock, painted with some distress stains, tore up, inked...I tried to make it look like an old pirates map. Steve Irwin and his crocodile was a photo off his Australia Zoo website, printed and cut out. The patterned paper is Bobunny and Simple Stories, both were part of Scrappin' Great Deals July Scrapbooking Kit, as were the Bobunny rub ons that I used around the layout, and the chipboard alpha that I covered in Fired Brick ink & stickles! I traced out the letters for Australia using a stencil, and cut out the title. Viva Decor Black Pearls were scattered around as a finishing touch! Really liking that medium!

Thanks for hopping by, and remember to leave a comment to be eligible to win!! Your next stop on the hop is the very talented Peggy!!

Krafty Peaks with Mattie!!

2011-07-15T07:00:00.004-04:00

It is Release Day Number Three for Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps !! And today they are featuring fabulous new stamps by Cheryl Alger! They are so incredibly cute!! Kimmie asked me to be a guest again with this release (thank you!) and I worked with Back to School Mattie, incorporating the image into a layout. Instead of Back to School though, given my oldest' thrill at being DONE school for the summer, I did a SCHOOL IS OUT!!! layout.

Have a look at this:

I used both the Elementary and 100 Days of Summer lines of papers from Simple Stories, as well as the alphas, a little vintage photo ink around some edges, Autumn leaves buttons, pretty simple layout for me!! I copied and shrunk Malcolm's last sheet of homework and included it on the layout.

Here is a close up of Mattie, coloured with my Derwent pencil crayons and odorless mineral spirits:

I loved this stamp so much that....sit down....I made a card!! I used the same Simple Stories patterned paper and some Cosmo Cricket tiny type alphas for a perfect thank you card:

Check out the Kraftin' Kimmie blog for the full list of Krafty Girls participating in today's release!! Thanks for looking and have a Krafty Good Day!!

A little bit of colouring!

2011-07-14T09:59:00.000-04:00

My friend Andrea came over a few weeks ago and we did some colouring. I stamped out this image, it was one of her stamps and for the life of me I can't recall the company, but I just LOVE this girl!! She totally reminds me of Kylie, the daughter of some friends of mine.

I coloured her with my pencil crayons and odorless mineral spirits, and I have no idea what I am going to do with her yet, but absolutely love how she turned out! Had to share!

Have a fantastic day!

Tiny peak!!

2011-07-13T15:18:00.000-04:00

Hey all!! Summer is here in full force, humidity and all. I know I am in the minority but really, I am a happy girl with much cooler temperatures. Give me 22 degrees please!!

Kraftin Kimme Stamps are having sneak peaks for their July release this week. I actually have my layout already completed for this Sunday's blog hop!! I am typically finishing it up the night before and then have to scramble to get a decent picture!! Not this time!! (We won't talk about the layout I am still working on for Friday's release!!! shhh!!)

Here is a tiny peak of what I have to show you on Sunday!!

What a teaser!!!

Have a great day, thanks for stopping in!

Crazy Love

2011-07-06T13:55:00.002-04:00

That's what my boys have!! It is so amazing to watch them together at times, so much love. Then of course one does something to the other and well chaos begins....but that's a layout for another day!!

Here is Layout 2, from Scrappin' Great Deals July Scrapbooking Kit... "Crazy Love":

Since the theme of this kit is "Life is a Journey", I wanted to illustrate my boys journey, starting shortly after Ben's birth in 2008 up to today. I really hope they stay close!

I used pieces of Bazzill cardstock, Basic Grey Out of Print and 7 Gypsies to create the background paper for the layout, some Bo-Bunny Zoology for the leaf border and photo mount, Simple Stories journal cards, and a 7 Gypsies tag, wood veneer hearts from Studio Calico, buttons from Autumn Leaves, jute; I created tickets from a Tim Holtz stamp, and various Tim Holtz sentiments were stamped around the pages; I used the diecut scalloped circles included in the kit to make the rolled flowers and tucked them around the large Bazzill brads; I also used some Viva Decor Black Pearls for the first time and really like the result!!

That's it for today!! The kits will be available tomorrow for members to pick up, and Sheila has some layouts to share as well. Check out the store blog for those tomorrow!!

Thanks for looking! Have a fantastic day!

Oh the Places You'll Go!!

2011-07-05T10:10:00.003-04:00

Scrappin' Great Deals will be releasing their July Scrapbooking kit in the next day or so, have a look-see at all it contains!!

July's theme: Life is a Journey!

Here is my first layout, and Dr. Seuss sums it up very nicely - Oh the Places You'll Go!!: Malcolm's training wheels got caught in a pot hole, leaving his rear tire free to spin in the puddle creating the best splashes!! It took him a bit, but once he got the hang of it, Malcolm loves to ride his bike. He and his dad go on long rides on the trails along the river.

The kit includes some fabulous paper from Simple Stories - their Destinations line. I paired it up with some Bazzill cardstock, and some paper by BoBunny - Zoology, also in the kit. A close up of Tim Holtz' glassine kraft paper which I stamped, embossed, inked and crumpled to get the leathery look:

The stamp is a new one by Stamping Bella, which I thought was perfect for my young biker!! The kit includes the chipboard alphas and a bottle of red stickles, both of which I used for the title! It also includes the die cut bicycle which I embossed with black soot distress powder. Lots of layers in this one! (Big surprise there!)

Thanks for looking, and I'll be back tomorrow with layout number two!!

I Love My Boys!

2011-06-28T09:44:00.000-04:00

Okay, no secret there!! But it is actually the title of the project I am offering for my next class at Scrappin' Great Deals!!

A word album, limited edition as there only 4 kits available!! I actually made this album last July using the July 2010 Scrapbooking Kit from Scrappin' Great Deals. I was able to put 4 kits together so that I could offer it as a class at some point and here we are! Some pics of the inside:

We will be using hot glue to make the "splats" and dots, using smooch paint on the chipboard, punching, stamping, distressing, fussy cutting. It will be a very full day, LOTS of fun!! Details on the class:

Date: Saturday, July 9, 2011 - 10am to 5pm
Price: $60.00 plus taxes
Snacks & Drinks will be served (You might want to pack a lunch!!)

You will need to bring the following:

Scissors or Exacto-Knife & cutting mat
Hot Glue Gun that uses mini-glue sticks
Pictures - at least 8 - 4x6, 2 - wallet size
Liquid Adhesive like Tombow Mono Multi
Fast Drying Liquid Adhesive like Zip Dry
Scor-Tape

All other materials will be provided by SGD's

Hope you can make it!! Have a fantastic day!!

How about a little sneak peak??

2011-06-24T13:28:00.001-04:00

I am just packing up Scrappin' Great Deals July Scrapbooking Kit!! Who wants a little peak at all's its scrappy goodness??!!!

How yummy are those colours!?!! I can't wait to start doing something with it...and by the looks of it that won't be until next week!!!

Poppy Love!

2011-06-22T15:43:00.001-04:00

I love my poppies, if only they would stand up straight! If only I could remember to stake them before they flower! Ah well, I love my poppies!

A Canvas for Anna!

2011-06-14T12:21:00.001-04:00

With the last of the paper in the June Scrapbooking Kit from Scrappin' Great Deals, I put together this canvas for my niece Anna. It is her 4th birthday this weekend and I thought she would like something special for her room.

Firstly I painted the canvas a gorgeous turquoise blue using some Golden Acrylic Paint, then I attached the Sassafras paper to it using Mat Medium mixed with a little of the paint. Then I started spraying with Glimmer Mist, some bubblegum pink, some marshmallow, some turquoise, until I got the look I wanted. I cut out a butterfly border using Martha Stewart's Deep Butterfly Border Punch, the butterflies I cut out of a second strip I punched out. They were punched out of some of the Pink Paislee paper. LOVE that paper!!

I traced out the letters from a stencil, hand cut them out, and painted on some Rock Candy Crackle Paint. The flowers were all made using the 3-D flower die from Sizzix, the paper is Basic Grey and MME. The pearls inside were from my stash, both Prima & Kaiser.

A close up:

Lastly I splattered around some Glimmer Glaze, added a heart I cut out in the corner and voila! Done!!

Hope she likes it! Have a fantastic day, and thanks for dropping by!!

Laughter, Water & Rainbows

2011-06-06T13:20:00.000-04:00

It's amazing how much fun two boys can have in a sprinkler! The water was absolutely freezing, as you can tell by the shocked expressions on their faces but that didn't stop them from going back for more!!

Fun times!!!

Have a look a these!!

2011-06-02T11:39:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone!! Hope your day is going well. I am totally enjoying the weather today, way better than the heat and humidity of the last three days!! I could take days like today all year round!!

I have a fantastic kit to show you today. Scrappin' Great Deals June Scrapbooking Kit. It is spring inspired, lots of blues, greens and pinks, butterflies, flowers, & flourishes. But don't think it is totally frilly and feminine!! You can do so much more with this kit, including going masculine/boyish as you will see! Here is this kit, along with some close ups:

Tons of double sided patterned paper by MME, Echo Park, Basic Grey, Pink Paislee, Creative Imaginations and Sassafras; co-ordinating Bazzill cardstock; oodles of embellishments from MME, Jillibean Soup, and Prima; and a ton of cardstock die-cuts.

Here is my first layout - EVERYDAY MOMENTS:

I used a couple Tim Holtz Sizzix Gear Dies to make the border and the loose gears; did some masking, some embossing, some stamping, some colouring with my pencil crayons on a Whiff of Joy stamped image, lots of distressing - and I love those new button blossoms from Jillibean Soup!! My "Everyday" title was cut out from the Graphically Speaking Cricut Cartridge, and the "Moments" is included in the kit.

My second layout - BLOOM:

Much more flowery! See how versatile this kit is! I have been seeing so many layouts using a grid pattern and just had to try it out! So I cut up a sheet of the Pink Paislee paper, distressed every edge, inked it up and put it back together. I also made my own flowers using the Sizzix 3-d flower die, and I put the MME brads in the centre of each. I started layering the flowers, brads, flourishes, and Jillibean Soup Butterfly Pins, and it needed something more. So I got out one of my new Magenta stamps, stamped it a couple of times on the back of the Basic Grey paper in vintage photo distress ink, cut the images out, and added them to my layers. Then I cut out some green leaves from a Sizzix die and some butterflies from a Cricut cartridge ( I think it was Walk In My Garden??), and my titles were also cut from the Cricut. I added some dots using Glimmer Glaze (love that stuff!!). And there you go!

So if you have read the store blog (here), you know Sheila had a bit of a tumble and is still recovering from that. (She is fine!) This means the kits are a bit delayed and will be available for sale later today or tomorrow. Keep an eye out on the store's blog as well for Sheila's layouts. You don't want to miss them, they are incredible!!

Thanks for looking, have a fabulous day!!

It's Time for some Sneak Peaks!!

2011-05-31T10:51:00.000-04:00

Well May has just zoomed by!! How does that happen!!?? At least we finally have some nice weather, although I could do without a humidex advisory in May!! Canadians, we always have to complain about the weather!! Ah well!

I have a couple of sneak peaks for you! Scrappin' Great Deals is releasing it's June Scrapbooking Kit tomorrow and here are some glimpses of the two layouts I created with it:

It is a very versatile kit this month, with the potential for both feminine and masculine layouts. Can't wait to show them all!! And Sheila this month, wow. She can do more layouts with these kits, she uses every scrap, every last embellishment. It is so fun and so inspiring working with her!!! Loving it!

See you tomorrow for the full reveal!!

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps May Blog Hop!!

2011-05-15T01:00:00.010-04:00

Today Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps is releasing their new MAY stamps!

As you’ve seen over the last few days in our Krafty Peeks, we have AMAZING new stamps for you to play with this month! This month we are introducing a NEW line of stamps from the wonderful Cheryl Alger! We have some SPORTY GIRLS from the talented Annie Rodrigue! There are some more adorable Dress Up Kids from Steven Leary and we have a super fun new set of Scripture Quotes for you as well!!

You will get to see most of the new images while you sit back and enjoy our Krafty Hop! You’ll see all the Krafty Girls, as well as some very special Krafty Guests along the way!! If you want to start from the beginning, just head over to the Kraftin’ Kimmie Challenge Blog! As you hop from blog to blog, be sure to leave a comment at each and every stop because some lucky stampers will win packages of stamps from the new release!! And when you’re done hoppin’, be sure to head over to the Kraftin’ Kimmie shop, because ALL the new images are NOW available!

Thanks for Hopping In!!! You should have arrived here from the incredible Carole's blog!

Here is my layout (yes, no cards here, or very few!!), featuring one of this month's Krafty Quotes, a scripture phrase from I Corinthians:

I used some fabulous text paper from October Afternoon, the words worked perfectly with what I wanted to convey about my boys. I used a Tim Holtz mask with some brown cordoruy distress ink to create the title, then trimmed around it and popped it up on the page. I painted some areas, glimmer misted, distressed and tore up the paper edges. Maya Road has incredible chipboard packages, and the hearts and love words came in a set. I cut out the stars from some Fancy Pants ribbon, and used some Prima pearls scattered around. The close up of the quote:

The quote was stamped on a shipping tag in Archival Ink, and the edges were inked up and the tag layered over a couple others.

I love seeing my two guys so happy together. Sure they fight and drive me crazy but then they hug and make up, and it brings tears to my eyes. Brothers. Love them so. :)

Your next stop on the hop is the Moonlight Whispers creator herself....ANNIE!! So in love with her work!!

Thanks again for popping in, and remember to leave a comment on all of the blogs for a chance to win!!

It's a Krafty Quotes Peak Day!!

2011-05-11T23:20:00.000-04:00

Here we are again for another fantastic peak at Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps new line of Krafty Quotes!! Four new Scripture Sentiments in this set, perfect for card making or as I prefer, scrapbooking!!! Here is my first layout for this release, featuring a quote from Proverbs:

I went Prima wild on this layout, using the new canvas mistables, bling, masks!! Love Prima these days. I cut out the flowers, leaves and flourishes from the canvas, sprayed with several colours of Glimmer Mist, left them to dry, then I masked my Bazzill cardstock, inking around the mask with Antique Linen Distress Ink. I stamped a few butterflies using a Unity stamp, some musical notes using a Cornish Heritage stamp, and distressed the edges of the paper. I attached it all together, adding some new Kaiser Craft paper flowers that just matched my colours perfectly!! I love it when things all come together! Lastly I tucked in some Prima lace & rhinestones, and made some raffia loops as well for here & there.

Here is a close up of the quote, stamped in Brushed Cordoruy Distress Ink:

Lastly, I added the title, using some white Thickers that I also inked in Brushed Cordoruy. I might add some journalling at a later date but maybe not. I really love how it looks right now!! Maybe I'll do up a matching layout for a two page spread??!

So that is it for me today. Make sure you pop by the Kraftin' Kimmie Blog to see the list of the Krafty Girls who are participating today!! You will see some incredible creations!!

***So....do you want to win this new set of Scripture Quotes??? Well, you can! Just leave some love on all the blogs today featuring Krafty Peeks and you could win! Hop on over to the Challenge Blog to see the list of links to our Krafty Girls and Guests and be sure to comment on each one....you never know who'll have the prize!!!

Thanks for dropping by and have a terrific day!! I will see you again on Sunday for the full release and Blog Hop!!

Checking In!!

2011-05-10T16:18:00.002-04:00

Wow, almost a week since I posted last!! It's a busy time of the year, things are finally picking up at work (the landscaping work that is!!) now that the sun is shining, and hopefully the rain's have stopped. People are finally getting out and deciding what they want to do in their gardens. I even managed some weeding & edging last Sunday!

Last Saturday was National Scrapbooking Day and at Scrappin' Great Deals we had an amazing free event for their customers. Kim, Rose & I prepared this layout as a make n take:

Everyone played with Prima masks, glimmer mists, distress inks, border punches, stamps, ribbon, bling..... It was a good day!!

A couple of weeks ago it was Easter, and I have finally gotten around to unloading the photos from my camera! Here are my boys colouring up their eggs:

And our ever vigilant cat, guarding the eggs!!

Lastly, here are our two "Easter" Bunnies, having some exercise, or really just trying to avoid the kids!!

So that's it for today!! I am working on a couple layouts for Kraftin' Kimmie's Stamps! Her May releases will be revealed this week. I will have a peak for you on Thursday and Sunday!!

Till then, have a great day!!

National Scrapbooking Day!!

2011-05-04T12:10:00.000-04:00

Come out and celebrate

NATIONAL SCRAPBOOKING DAY

with the Divas at

SCRAPPIN' GREAT DEALS!!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

10:00am - 2:00pm

COME CREATE A LAYOUT ALL ABOUT YOU!!

Play with paper, flowers, masks, mists, bling...!!!!

AND IT IS TOTALLY FREE

Just bring a 4x6 picture of yourself and we will show you how FABULOUS you are!!!

Snacks, Door Prizes!!

Come get crafty with us!!

SGD's May Scrapbooking Kit Reveal!!

2011-05-01T21:29:00.001-04:00

Well, we have had the April showers...bring on the May flowers!!!

Scrappin' Great Deals has another amazing scrapbooking kit for you this month, if I do say so myself!! Its theme....Timeless Treasures. Here is the kit:

A couple of close ups showing the embellishments:

The kit features designer paper by BoBunny- the amazing Timepiece line, Kaiser Crafts' Chanteuce collection, Prima, and Glitz Designs. Tim Holtz is well represented as well with a length of film strip, brads, clock face, game spinner, and memo holders; Prima flowers and pebbles; Kaiser Craft lace; journal cards by Kaiser & Websters, Bazzill brads and Pink Paislee Artisan Elements! Timeless Treasures indeed!!

I actually managed to finish 3 layouts on Saturday!!! Amazing, for those who know me! Here is layout number one...Coffee Time:

A lot of distressing, I used a Tim Holtz Mask to create the timepiece in the corner, I fussy cut out the clocks from one sheet of the BoBunny paper. I used some Rock Candy on the faces of the clocks to age them a bit, give them some texture. Then I used some new texturizing spray called Goosebumps, on the background. LOVE IT!!! It spatters and pools, dries quickly. Totally cool. I got all creative with my coffee cup too, inked up the bottom of it and stamped it around the page along with the spatter stamp by Tim Holtz. I used the mask on the tag as well, lots of layers with the film strip, paper layers. Really happy with this one!!

Layout number two...Mother:

It is Mother's Day next weekend, and this kit went so well with a very recent picture of my Mom:

I used a Martha Stewart Punch for the butterflies (they weren't included in the kit), inked them up with some Marmalade Distress Ink, then went over it in Gold Twinkling H20s. I did the same with the Pink Paislee Artisan Elements. LOVE how they turned out:

Just the right amount of shine. I scrunched up the Kaiser lace, used the Prima flowers and pebbles, scattered some stickles around. And the stamp sentiment I picked up at the last Garage Sale!! Thanks Vender #27!!

Last layout....Cherished:

The new Kaiser Craft Chanteuse line was just perfect to showcase these three ladies:

I misted the green background paper with some Glimmer Mist, layered the background on a couple of sheets of cardstock and inked around the matted photo. I love using patterned paper to create my own embellishments for my layouts. I spent a couple of hours making these rosettes (by hand..no Tim Holtz die helping out!!):

I then tucked in some bling around the rosettes. The bling was cut out of the incredible Mother's Day BONUS gift that Sheila is including in this months kit..for the monthly subscribers only!! Congrats ladies!!

Make sure you pop by the store blog to see Sheila's fantastic creations. They will be posted tomorrow, and the kit will be available to purchase tomorrow as well. Remember it is Limited Edition, meaning when it is gone, it is gone!!

Have a fabulous night everyone!!

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps' April Blog Hop!!

2011-04-17T01:00:00.009-04:00

"IF YOU OBEY ALL THE RULES, YOU MISS ALL THE FUN!!" Katherine Hepburn

Today Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps is releasing their new APRIL stamps!

As you’ve seen over the last few days in our Krafty Peeks, we have AMAZING new stamps for you to play with this month! We have some beautiful FAIRIES just in time for spring, from Annie Rodrigue! There are some more adorable Dress Up Kids from Steven Leary and we have a super fun new set of Krafty Quotes for you as well!!

I used Bazzill cardstock, patterned paper from Echo Park, (did a lot of fussy cutting out of those flowers!!), thickers from American Crafts, the flower and heart stamps are Hero Arts, Kaiser pearls, stickles, the flourish is a new stamp from Prima - a Donna Downey line, distress inks...that is about it!!!

Here is a close up of the quote:

I hope you enjoy the hop!! Make sure you leave a comment on each and every blog to qualify for the prize!!! Your next stop on the Hop is the fabulous Elaine!!

Have a fantastic day!!

It's a Krafty Quotes Peak Day!!

2011-04-14T07:00:00.006-04:00

Kraftin' Kimmie has another fabulous set of Krafty Quotes this month!! I am so excited to be a part of another release!! Thanks so much Kimmie!!!

I used a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt for my layout about the strongest woman I know, my Grandma. She turned 91 this year, and the picture was taken on my wedding day almost 8 years ago. She hasn't changed a bit!! Born in 1920, she has certainly faced her share of adversities, depression, wars, losing her brother, then her husband - both far too early, raising her two children on her own (they were 3 & 5 when their dad passed away). It was a struggle for sure, but she is fearless, wise, compassionate and loving. I admire her so much!!

Here is my layout - She is Remarkable:

I finished the layout around 11:00pm last night! I am a procrastinator my friends, it is true. I used Bazzill cardstock, patterned paper from Fancy Pants & Prima, Bo-Bunny and Jillibean Soup alphas, Prima flowers, Bo-Bunny rhinestones, bakers twine, K&Company Pearl Brads, Tim Holtz Tissue tape, Prima birds and a Prima mask. Lots of torn paper, and distressing with ink!

Check out Kraftin' Kimmies Challenge Blog for all the Krafty Girls participating today!! Thanks for looking and I will see you Sunday for the Blog Hop!!

Our Little Boy

2011-04-08T09:42:00.001-04:00

My Benny - look how tiny he was, hard to believe he will be turning 3 this year! Yes, I am that far behind in my scrapbooking!! Anyway, SGD got in this super cute paper from Best Creations, called Safari Boy (there is Safari Girl too!) TOO CUTE!! So I did up the above layout with it. I cut out the palm trees and alligator, pop dotted up onto the same paper for dimension, cut a circle out of the centre, mounted another piece of patterned paper behind the circle, mounted the whole thing on a piece of cardstock and then onto more patterned paper. Cut out three of the title cards and pop dotted them on, did some journal strips and done!!! Except after the picture was taken I decided it needed some stickle dots, so I did that and forgot to take another picture!! It is hanging up at the store if you would like to see it!! :)

Have a fantastic day. It is a PA day here, off to spend some quality time with my oldest!!

Pretty Toes!

2011-04-06T14:29:00.001-04:00

A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of giving my niece Anna her first pedicure. (well at least it was the first time I painted her toes!) She was so so happy after it was done, and I put a little flower sticker on her toe too. How can you resist that smile I ask you!! Here is the layout I just finished using Basic Grey's new Luscious line:

A close up of the banner and paper ruffle:

I wasn't sure about the line at first but it grew on me and I love the way the layout worked out!!
Have a fantastic day!!

Easter Colouring Page

2011-04-06T10:52:00.000-04:00

I had a blast creating this colouring page for my hubby. He was drawing away at it, and I just kind of took over. (Yes I know, totally out of character for me! lol) Anyway, it was really fun to do, hope all the kiddies like colouring it!! The pizza guy is New Orleans Pizza's mascot - Smart Dough Joe!! Cute, eh?

Follow Your Heart

2011-04-01T08:00:00.010-04:00

Happy April Fool's Day!!

Yes, it is April already and it is time for the full reveal of Scrappin' Great Deals monthly kits. Scrappin' Sheila's Scrapbooking kit for April is full of spring colour. Perfect to chase away those winter blahs!! It's theme is "Let Your Imagination Fly!!"

Here is the kit:

Love this colour combo! Patterned paper from Bo-bunny, Prima, Graphic 45, & 7 Gypsies, butterflies gallore, fantastic new Prima resin flowers, gold satin ribbon, new puzzle pieces from the Gabrielle collection by Bo-Bunny, journal cards from MME, and so on and so on....!!!

The workshops I attended last weekend with Donna Downey REALLY inspired me to take my scrapbooking to a new level. I thought I did layers well, but she showed me I can do more!!! I knew putting the kit together that I wanted to do something special with it and I think I did. My project combines mixed media art with traditional scrapbooking. I took a blank canvas, started adding layers with distress stains, glimmer mists, shimmerz and acrylic colour washes, splattered with shimmerz and glimmer glazes, masked areas with both the new Prima and Tim Holtz masks, I layered patterned paper, journal cards and butterflies....and this was all to create the background!! So have a look at my creation:

Once the background was complete, I then started the more traditional scrapbooking and started adding the dimension to the top, with ribbon, flowers, rhinestones, stickers. I am so happy with the finished product!!
It looks fabulous (if I may say so myself!) in real life! It will be on display at the store for awhile, I hope you pop in to see it! I hope it can inspire you to let your imagination fly!!!

Make sure you pop over to our store blog (click here)to have a look at what Sheila created this month. Her work is always incredible but she really rocked it this time!!

Thanks for visiting!!!

Another Peak!!

2011-03-31T14:29:00.000-04:00

I just finished my project using Scrappin' Sheila's April Scrapbooking Kit. I say project, because it is really not a layout, or it is, just on a bigger scale....well, that's all I am saying, and here is a peak:

See you tomorrow with the full reveal! Have a great afternoon!!

April Sneak Peak!!

2011-03-30T09:28:00.000-04:00

Can you believe that it will be April at the end of the week?? Really, no foolin!! :) Here is a sneak peak at the soon-to-be-released kit that Sheila and I have been creating with, Scrappin' Sheila's 12x12 Scrapbooking Kit for April!!

It's theme is Let Your Imagination Fly!! Lots of spring colours, flowers, birds, butterflies!! Can't wait to show you what I am working on. Those workshops this past weekend really got the creative juices flowing!!
Have a fantastic day in the sunshine out there!!!

The Artist in All of Us!

2011-03-28T12:58:00.005-04:00

Yes there is one in all of us, and boy does Donna Downey know how to find it!! If you know of her, everything you see and hear on her blog, is magnified when you meet her in person. She is a bundle of energy, and inspiration, she is bold and encouraging. She is a hugger and an impulse buyer!! During the workshop on Saturday, one of the attendees showed her some fabric altered with a machine called an embellisher, out came her phone, and budda bing, she found one and bought one right there and then!! I did three workshops on the weekend, and spent an amazingly inspirational day on Saturday with my SIL, Julia, by my side. LOVED it, we both did.

Friday nights class: A layout created on Prima canvas, it already has text on it!! Did some stamping, some iron ons, bling, colour washes with acrylic paint, I made it my own with some distress inks around the outside edge.

Saturday's classes: The morning class, Life's Artistry, was a canvas album, and was very messy. I still have blue fingers! No one got even remotely close to being done. Lots of colour washing on our canvas, paper and flowers, and fabric was attached to cardboard, also for inclusion in the album, some stamping also.

Donna showing us how to apply acrylic paint to canvas, and then use India Ink for journalling:

Saturday afternoon: The Inspirational Journal. This is where she really got us challenged. Donna strolled around the room, giving us instructions....ie: pick a page, and use only 1 colour of paint, new page, you can only use ink, now use circles, two colours, one stamp, very fast paced. She showed us some techniques, drippage, image embedding, image transfer, white washing, glue resists....then she made us get up, take our journals and go to someone elses' table.....and use THEIR stuff...EEEK!! and WOW!! It really made you see your own supplies in a different way. She totally wants everyone to stop hoarding, USE your products, experiment, get messy, be daring!! Some pics of what I did:

Some I like, some I am totally going to keep working on, we really only scratched the surface. Can't wait to continue it. The journal is supposed to be somewhere to test ideas, a foundation for later work, an inspiration!!

Fabulous time, can't wait to do it again!!! Thank you Donna!!

I will be playing this weekend with....

2011-03-23T11:32:00.001-04:00

DONNA DOWNEY!!

I signed up for a few (three to be exact) workshops that she is teaching this weekend in Kitchener!!

I am over the moon excited!!

Now we need to get her to Scrappin' Great Deals!!!!

Bo-bunny Gabrielle

2011-03-21T09:32:00.006-04:00

I am in love with this new line from Bo-bunny!! Love, love, love it!! The colours, the patterns, the script, the butterflies. Here is one layout that I just finished last night using it.

This is actually the first layout I have done in a long time that is not for a team, or with a kit etc. It is a picture of me, my sister and my brother, way back when, in 1972. (That's me on the right.) So I used three pieces of the patterned paper, the lace ribbon from the wraps, the diecut chipboard, the brads and the sticker sheet. I usually like to mix up my embellies & paper from different supplies, but did I mention I really love this line?? Perhaps I did!! I also used some flowers from Prima, and a MS border punch, some stickles and thickers!!

Here's a little close up of the layers:

Have a fantastic spring day!!

Happy Birthday Card!!

2011-03-18T09:41:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday to my Hubby. It was actually yesterday, he was a St. Patrick's Day baby. Here is his card, a very quick one.

Stamped with a recent release from Kraftin' Kimmie, Stripes the Zebra, embossed, then shaded with some distress ink. Embossed the Echo Park paper with my Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder, inked the edges, added some Cosmo Cricket ribbon, all on some Black Bazzill paper. Done!!

Enjoy your day!! Fabulous warm weather!!

Ray's Reptiles

2011-03-17T15:13:00.002-04:00

Gee I wish my camera had fresh batteries in it ..... Wandered around the Western Fair today with Malcolm seeing the exhibit from Ray's Reptile Zoo, based in Ottawa. It is always a fantastic show, the handlers really know how to get the kids involved with the creatures.

We saw a yellow anaconda, reticulated python, king cobra, pink footed Tarantula, bearded dragon, a few monitor lizards, various tortoises...really cool....so glad they were behind walls. I was brave enough to touch a black rat snake. eek!!

Funniest moment....during the live show, the handler is talking about Tarantulas, specifically the one he is holding in his hand....ewww....yes I know; however he is talking about the spider's hairy butt and how it uses it for defense, well he asks the kids, all sitting down on the floor in front of him, what other animal has a hairy butt? So he gets the typical answers, dogs, bears etc., then one little girl, about 6 or 7 from the look of her shouts out "My DAD"!!! I haven't laughed like that in awhile!! Man it was funny!!

Had to share!!! :) Having a great Mommy/Son day!!

Happy St. Patricks Day!!

It's a Kraftin Kimmie Blog Hop!!

2011-03-13T01:00:00.001-05:00

Yes, it is time for the full reveal of Kraftin' Kimmie's March 2011 stamps!!

You have been seeing sneak peaks all week of the fabulous stamps that Kimmie is releasing this month....stamps from Annie Rodrigues, Steven Leary and more of my kind of stamp....Krafty Quotes!!

The Krafty Quote stamps are larger in size than your average sentiment stamps and are perfect as the focal point of your scrappy cards and as an addition to your scrapbook layouts! This month’s set includes quotes from Mother Teresa, L.M. Montgomery, Bette Midler and Lauren Bacall!

You will get to see most of the new images while you sit back and enjoy our Krafty Hop! You’ll see all the Krafty Girls, as well as some very special Krafty Guests along the way!! If you want to start from the beginning, just head over to the Kraftin’ Kimmie Challenge Blog! As you hop from blog to blog, be sure to leave a comment at each and every stop because some lucky stampers will win packages of stamps from the new release!! And when you’re done hoppin’, be sure to head over to the Kraftin’ Kimmie shop, because ALL the new images are NOW available!

My little guy, Ben, when he was three months old. He just started smiling around this time. I used Bazzill Kraft paper as my background and for the punched out stars. I stitched around the outside of the kraft paper using my SewEasy. The ribbon, the charm tag and the star brads are all from an older Making Memories line called Pitter Patter. I mounted the photo on some Prima paper, used some foam Thickers for the title and added some Maya Road pins behind the letters. Some of the stars got a coating of Smooch pearl top coat for a little sparkle.

Some close ups:

Really happy with the layout, and I finished it in the nick of time!! Nothing like waiting until the last minute!! But I did get to spend an amazing evening crafting with my good friends celebrating Angie's birthday. Kimmie did get to inspect my layout prior to this post, actually saw it from start to finish!! Next month I'll be more on the ball!

So from here, please head on over to the fabulous Michele's blog for your next stop on the hop!! I popped around her blog and WOW, does she have a lot of of amazing stuff for you to see!!

I hope you have a fantastic day, don't forget to put your clocks ahead, and enjoy the hop!!

It's a Krafty Peak Day!!

2011-03-09T07:00:00.002-05:00

It is sneak peak time for Kraftin' Kimmie's Stamps!! Kimmie asked me to be a guest designer again this month for her new line of stamps: Krafty Quotes! I was very happy to do so!! I love adding "thoughts" to my layouts and this new line fits in perfectly with my style!

So here is my layout for today, featuring a quote from Lauren Bacall. I knew as soon as I read the quote what pictures I was going to use! A child's imagination is limitless!!

I used a mix of papers from Bo-bunny, Bella Blvd and October Afternoon, added some background stamps (Tim Holtz and Cornish Heritage) using distress ink in Spiced Marmalade and Peeled Paint, added some cute "hand" buttons, the alpha is from October Afternoon and the ribbon is from Cosmo Cricket. I am really into scrunching up my ribbon lately, really like the depth it brings. Lastly I sprinkled around some stickle dots. I stamped Kimmie's sentiment on the Bo-bunny paper using Indigo chalk ink.

A close up:

I hope you liked what you saw here today and make sure you visit all the Krafty girls to see their takes on the Krafty Quotes!! Check out Kraftin' Kimmies Challenge blog for the list of who to see! Come back and see me on Sunday for the blog hop!! Enjoy!

SGD'S First Blog Hop

2011-03-06T09:00:00.002-05:00

Welcome everyone!!! This is the last stop on our hop and if you did not arrive here via Kim's blog than head over to Scrappin' Great Deals' blog to start at the beginning!!

Introducing Me!!

My name is Lori and I have been working at SGD for a little over a year now. I have been scrapping since 2001 when a friend introduced me to Creative Memories and I was hooked!! I am a landscape designer during the week, and usually spend at least one day a weekend at the store - supporting my hobby! I have a wonderful hubby, two incredible sons, a dog, a cat and two bunnies - which equals one full house!!

I tend towards the shabby chic style, a little artistic, a lot layered and distressed!! My hands are never clean when I have finished up a layout! Ink, ink and more ink!! And yes I am a Tim-aholic!!

I am SGD's resident designer and have been working with Sheila putting together the store's monthly scrapbooking kits for several months now. I LOVE this part of my job the most!!! Putting together several different paper lines, matching various embellishments, trying to keep it unique and up to date.....LOVE the monthly challenge it gives me! And then I get to put together a few layouts every month with the kit. Is this just the best job ever!!! YES!!

So that is me!! And this is the end of our Hop!! I hope you enjoyed meeting some of our designers! Make sure you leave a comment on every blog for a chance to win some Blog Candy!!

Have a great day!!

Recipe Time!!

2011-03-01T15:20:00.000-05:00

Here is my last layout made with SGD's March Kit:

I absolutely LOVE this recipe. In fact I burned my chin on the pan the first time I made it because it smelled so good and I leaned in too close to give it a sniff!!

I used both the October Afternoon and WRMK paper to write the recipe on. The apple stamp is from Flourishes (love these stamps!!), and I used it to create the background with Antique Linen Distress Ink. I also stamped it once with Memento Ink and coloured it in with my Pan Pastels, cut it out and popped it up on my page. I stamped the background page a few times with a couple different Cornish Heritage Stamps, also in Antique Linen, then shaded the apples with the Pan Pastels, as well as around the border of the page. The title stickers are MME, added some jute twine, and eyelets, dabbed some dots around the page and done!!

Here is a close up of the colouring with the Pan Pastels:

Have a great afternoon!!!

It's Release Day!!

2011-03-01T08:00:00.002-05:00

Another month has come and gone, March is here!! Let's hope for that early spring, I am quite done with snow!

Scrappin' Great Deals March Scrapbooking kit is stuffed full of colour!! It was a bit of a challenging kit to work with! A little outside my comfort zone, but that is good, it shakes things up a bit! Here is the kit:

It has designer paper from WRMK, October Afternoon and Echo Park, co-ordinating Bazzill cardstock, Webster's alphas, Basic Gray and WRMK brads, Prima Flowers, Pebbles Candy Dots, Maya Road chipboard buttons, and lots of WRMK title cards, flocked lace trim and journalling tags. This kit celebrates Family!!

Sheila and I had a blast on Saturday with our mini "competition", who can get the most done, the best layout, etc, etc. All in good fun of course, and with her being the boss, somehow she always wins???

Here are two of my layouts, the third I will be finishing up later today.

I used an I-topper for the first time to make my own paw print brads. Really happy with how they turned out. Love these pictures of my son and our cat, man they love each other! I played with some white Chalkboard Glimmer Mist on the background, didn't really show up enough so I added some splatters with chalk ink and a Tim Holtz stamp.

Next one:

I used the flocked lace trim as well has some scalloped edges from the WRMK title block paper and layered it along the bottom of the layout. I used the tattered florals Tim Holtz die to make the flowers, put some brads in the centres, tucked in the Prima flowers and voila!! Probably the fastest layout I have ever done! It came together really nicely I think!! I chose a Sepia toned picture because of the vibrant colours of the paper.

That's it for now! Make sure you pop over to SGD's blog to have a look at Sheila's creations! Beautiful work!!

Have an awesome day!!

Thrilled to Bits!!

2011-02-28T12:35:00.002-05:00

Tooting my own horn here!!

I am over the moon excited!! I have had 3 layouts published in the Spring 2011 issue of Canadian Scrapbooker!! THREE!!! This is my first time being published and to have 3 layouts picked up at once is astounding to me! Thrilled!!

I loved seeing my layouts in the magazine, they did a great job photographing them, but seeing my name in print....that is what did it for me!! And my older son, one of the layouts is about him, was so happy, he kept saying thank you to me cause he thinks I put it there for him! Too cute!

So there is my 5 minutes! Have a fantastic day and we will see you tomorrow with my layouts for Scrappin Great Deals March Kit release!

Sneak Peak!!

2011-02-22T13:24:00.003-05:00

Can you believe February is 2/3rds over?? Where has it gone? But I am oh so ready for spring. I have had just about enough of winter. Scrappin' Great Deals has pulled together their March Scrapbooking Kit, and it celebrates Home and Family, with lots of bright colours to shake off the winter blahs. Here is a little glimpse of what it contains:

Can't wait to show you all what I've done with it!! Sheila and I will be scrappin' with the kit this Saturday at the store's all day crop! There are a few spots left for those who want to join us!!

Kraftin' Kimmie's February 2011 Release!!

2011-02-13T01:00:00.005-05:00

I am so excited to be a part of this month's release!! I love Kraftin' Kimmie's stamps and her new line of Krafty Quotes is sure to be a big success!!!

So lets get to it!!

Today Kraftin’ Kimmie Stamps is releasing their new FEBRUARY images! This month we are debuting a new line of stamps called Krafty Quotes!! These sets of stamps are perfect for scrapbooking or for the scrappier stamper....as these stamps can be used as the focal point of your creation, or in addition to your coloured images! We’ll have a new set each month!

As you’ve seen over the last few days in our Krafty Peeks, Annie Rodrigue is Rockin’ and Rollin’ this month with FIFTIES themed stamps!! There are seven images in the complete set and they are Danny, Fanny, Joanie, Judy, Jukebox, Patsy and Richie!! Each one comes with TWO or THREE coordinating sentiment stamps!! Let’s go to the HOP!

Steven Leary is helping us shake off those winter blues by helping us to THINK SPRING!! Miles and Maisie and some new friends are playing in the springtime sunshine!!! We have Bicycle Miles, Catching Butterflies, Rainy Day Miles, Springtime Maisie and Springtime Bunnies!!! Stinkin’ CUTE!!

You will get to see most of the new images while you sit back and enjoy our Krafty Hop! You’ll see all the Krafty Girls, along with some very special Krafty Guests along the way!! If you want to start from the beginning, just head over to the Kraftin’ Kimmie Challenge Blog! As you hop from blog to blog, be sure to leave a comment at each and every stop because some lucky stampers will win packages of stamps from the new release!! And when you’re done hoppin’, be sure to head over to the Kraftin’ Kimmie shop, because ALL the new images are NOW available!

Again we’ve got ‘Gimme Kimmie’s Kits’ for those of you who just HAVE to have all the new images! We’ve grouped each line of stamps together and called them the ‘Gimme Kimmies Kits’!!! Instead of clicking on each image that you’d like, you only have to click once to pick up a Gimme Kimmies Kit AND it’s at a discounted price!! What could be better???

Here is my layout I created for the Hop:

I actually started this layout about a year ago. I got as far as putting the Making Memories paper on top of the Bazzill Kraft, inked the edges a bit and then I put it aside. I had coloured up Josephine (using my Derwent pencil crayons) with the intentions of using on this layout but again it got put aside. This release made me get it all out again, because one of the sentiments was perfect for it. I added some rub ons from Bo-bunny, Tim Holtz film strip ribbon, rich red velvet ribbon from Fancy Pants, coaster buttons from Imagination Project, some fun word stickers from K & Company, Basic Grey Pearls, sprinkled some Glimmer Glaze dots arounds the page, and what else?? Oh yes! The Krafty Quote!! I stamped it on some Making Memories paper, inked up the edges, added some rub ons...Perfect!!

Here is a close up of the quote:

There you have it!! I am really happy with how it all pulled together. Sometimes you just need the right element for inspiration!!

You should have arrived here directly from the Challenge Blog, and your next hop is the incredibly talent Melanie !! Wait until you see what she and all the other Krafty Girls have done this month! Fantastic!

Thanks again Kimmie!! See you next month??!!

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps

2011-02-09T07:00:00.002-05:00

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps has become known for their sweet, whimsical images that are so much fun to colour with markers, pencils and watercolours! But this month we are launching a new line of stamps that are headed in a different direction!

Today Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps is debuting a new line of stamps that will appeal to both scrappers and stampers alike! The sets are called 'Krafty Quotes'!! Each month we'll be releasing a new set and each set will have four quotes which are larger in size than your average word stamps. These gorgeous sentiments are perfect to accent your scrapbook pages, your main card images or to become the focal point of your design!

This month, Krafty Quotes #1 features quotes from Audrey Hepburn, Louisa May Alcott, Lucille Ball and Mother Teresa!!

I was thrilled to be asked by Kimmie to be a part of her new release! I love her first set of 'Krafty Quotes', and can't wait to see next month! I am a scrapbooker by heart and these new sentiments are perfect additions to any layout! Just in time for Valentine's Day, here is my first layout with the first edition of Krafty Quotes!!

I used a few sheets of designer paper from the Lost & Found line by MME, distressed most of the paper edges with Black Soot Distress Ink, used a couple of die-cut hearts by Sizzix, stamped Kimmie's Sentiment on a manilla tag, added some background script, etc to match the MME paper, attached a metal key from K&Company, and lastly dabbed some stickle dots around the layout.

Close up of the Krafty Quote:

To see what the Krafty Girls have created this month please head to the Krafty Kimmie Challenge Blog. All of Kimmie's stamps can be found on her website, Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps!!

Thanks again Kimmie!!

It was a TIM Day!!

2011-02-07T09:55:00.006-05:00

We had a fabulous day at Scrappin' Great Deals yesterday celebrating FOOTBALL!! Oh wait, we didn't really! We celebrated TIM HOLTZ and all his incredible tools and products. Six of the stores designing divas created tags using various products/tools created/endorsed by Tim. Here is my tag:

I used a new technique that Tim (don't you just love how everyone uses his name like we all know him personally??!!) demonstrated on one of his 12 tags of Christmas. and created a custom ink pad using Cut n Dry Felt, Rangers Archival Ink, and Distress Re-Inkers. I also used two Tim Holtz stamp sets: Bitty Grunge and Urban Chic, Grungepaper, Film Strip, Distress Ink and Embossing Powder.

Have a visit to the store blog to check out all the tags that were created!

Life is Good!!

2011-02-03T20:46:00.004-05:00

That's my motto and I think it rubbed off on my cat!! I found him asleep on my hat one day and couldn't resist taking a picture!! I used SGD's February's Scrapbook Kit to do up this layout using his pic.

I managed to get my hands on a WRMK Sew Easy and for the first time ever.....I stitched on a layout!!

I almost got it in a straight line! And for the record, it punches through one sheet of cardstock "sew easy" (ha!), three sheets of paper, not so good.

There you have it, layout number two, lets try for one more!!!

February Release Day!!!

2011-02-01T09:54:00.004-05:00

It's that time again!!! Scrappin' Great Deals is releasing Scrappin' Sheila's February Scrapbooking Kit today, and here it is:

It is stuffed full of paper from Making Memories, Kaiser Craft and MME, embellishments from the Je T'Adore line by Making Memories, Prima flowers and pearls, fantastic ribbon from Maya Road and Websters, alpha stickers from Websters, co-ordinating Bazzill cardstock and a couple red glitter die cut hearts. I love the soft colours with the bold red! Happy Valentine's Day!!

Here is my ONE layout (as always with me lately I have a couple more in the works that I will show when complete!!):

I stamped and embossed a script around the outside of the cardstock, used a Tim Holtz mask to add a flourish, trimmed around the flourish to tuck the paper behind creating layers, the hearts were cut out using the Classic Heart Nestibilities, then crumpled, distressed and inked and scattered around the page. Tucked in a few tickets, and heart brads, stickled a few dots around the page, then I journalled on paper strips. I used several lines from a poem that circulates around every few months titled "Before I was a Mom". Grab some tissue, it's a tear jerker for sure!!

Now on to our store blog to see what Scrappin' Sheila herself created with this kit!! Be prepared to fall off your chair, they are that gorgeous!! She enjoyed herself so much that she has already decided to design with March's kit too!!!

Have a great day!!

Another Sneak Peak!!

2011-01-31T15:24:00.003-05:00

A couple of glimpses of the one layout I have done for the release of SGD's kit tomorrow!!

See you tomorrow with the full reveal and hopefully one more layout!!

The month of Romance....

2011-01-24T11:58:00.006-05:00

.......is just around the corner!! Have a peek at this:

A glimpse of Scrappin' Sheila's Scrapbooking Kit for February!!! Soft colours mixed with bold reds, flowers, hearts, pearls, romance at its best!! Watch for the reveal next week!!! And guess who is joining me this month designing with this kit??? None other than Scrappin' Sheila herself!!! WooHOO!!

FYI

2011-01-23T14:28:00.002-05:00

Tense moment in my class yesterday.....Image transfer does NOT work with photo paper!! For my original layout I printed my photos on plain white paper and the transfer worked. I was told by an extremely reliable source that it would work with photo paper as well. Should have tested it prior to my class!! It all worked out well in the end though, we just eliminated that step and ended up with some beautiful layouts!!!

Upcoming Layout Classes

2011-01-17T13:21:00.005-05:00

Just a little plug!!!

I have a couple of layout classes coming up this Saturday, January 22, and there are a couple of spots left!

The first one "Fall Fun":

A few techniques will be learned, most significantly will be image transfer. We will be transfering the image from a picture to the cardstock using a gel medium. There will be distressing of course, panpastels, die cutting, glimmer glaze, embossing etc. It should be lots of fun, and yes you will get your hands dirty!!

Time: 10:00am - 12:30
Price: $22.00

~~~~~~~

The second class "You + Me = Happy":

A fun layout..we'll hand cut some chipboard shapes, attach some paper, colour with twinkling H2Os, a bit of distressing, etc.

Time: 1:30pm - 3:30pm
Price: $22.00

BONUS: Take both classes and save $10.00!!
$34.00 for both!!

Happy Family Album

2011-01-08T15:06:00.014-05:00

Well I finally finished it!! WooHoo!! So glad Sheila was okay with it being so late!! (Thanks Sheila!)

Here is the picture again of Scrappin' Sheila's January Kit:

And here is my finished project:

So I tweaked it a lot from my last post (nothing was glued down for that picture!!). I cut the flowers down, and moved the tag to the inside of the album so that the word FAMILY was more readable.

The album is a gift for my mom, it was supposed to be for her birthday, then for Christmas, well, now she can have it next month after it is done being on display at the store!!! (Sorry MOM!!) It is filled with pictures of all 6 of my Mom's grandkids. She will love showing this off to her friends!

The inside (very picture heavy!). I started off with my two boys:

Then my brother's two kids:

And my sister's two boys, the oldest of the bunch:

And all the cousin's together:

So there you go! One last picture of the album:

Now on to planning February's kit!! Have a great weekend!!

Christmas Cards!

2011-01-04T13:49:00.004-05:00

This was our 2010 Christmas card (sent to 45 of our family & friends!):

Really love the blue & brown combo. I used paper from Fancy Pants and Bazzill cardstock to match, with Prima pearls, embossed the cardstock with a Tim Holtz folder. The sentiment I believe is from Impression Obsession.

And this is one of two matching cards I made for the two amazing ladies who take care of my Ben at the daycare:

I embossed the centre of the card with a Tim Holtz folder, added some stickles to frame the embossed section, the penguin stamp is from Sparkle & Sprinkle and is coloured in with pencil crayons and mineral spirits. REALLY like this one!!!

Family Album

2011-01-04T09:51:00.003-05:00

Well, it's not completely finished but it is getting there!! I am thinking the flowers might be a bit big, and the word family is becoming lost, don't know, will work on it a tad more. I really do like all the colours together though. I wasn't sure about mixing both black and brown with the colours, I usually pick one or the other, but I am happy with the results so far!

A close up:

Have a fantastic day!!!

And so far I have this...

2011-01-02T22:43:00.009-05:00

Nice mess eh??!! Well I would love to say that my project for Scrappin' Great Deals January Scrapbooking Kit is complete, but I don't lie very well so I can't!! I do have a lot of interesting embellishments made up for the project but the assembly of said project is coming along alot slower than I had anticipated. (Blast you Harry Potter, must my new Wii game be so addictive??)

Here is the actual kit:
Papers from Kaiser, Prima, Bo-bunny and MME, fantastic new title stickers from KI Memories, Prima flowers, Maya Road chipboard frames, stickles, stunning ribbon from Websters and May Arts, buttons, cardstock, pearls, brads and so on!!

So I decided to do a word album and I have the actual album complete as so:

And the embellishments to go along with it, starting with this nifty little tag:

A bunch of handmade flowers:

some hand cut "brads":
and the pictures cropped and mounted on cardstock:

It is definitely a work in progress!! I will post more over the next couple of days, as I am not overly optimistic about how quickly it will come together! In the mean time though, pop over to Carol's blog to see her fantastic creations with the kit. Two amazing layouts and a card!! And I thought my kids were cute, wait until you see hers!!!

SGD's January Scrapbooking Kit

2011-01-02T13:01:00.002-05:00

Hello!! I'm back! I have no idea where December went! Christmas was fantastic, and so so busy! I am so not used to having two kids at home, and so not used to being a referee!! The fights! Crazy really. I guess it will be going on for awhile though, they are only 6 and 2!

I have a sneek peak of Scrappin' Great Deals January Scrapbooking Kit. It will be released tomorrow, and I will have my project ready as well.

Happy New Year!!