New Class and some sentimental stuff...

Hope you are all having a good start to your week.  Here in lovely Alberta, we are in the midst of our first snowfall of the season... you know the day where traffic is ridiculous because all the people who drive for half of the year in snow suddenly forget how to do it?  Yeah... that day....

We are finally all healthy in this house.  My daughter that had pneumonia also tried to tell me she had an earache while she was on antibiotics and this silly momma tried to tell her that wasn't possible.... WRONG!  Turns out her ear was badly infected and she actually burst her eardrum :(  Another round of antibiotics and we finally seem to be back on the normal track - whew!

I have been busy busy busy creating and actually really enjoying it!  I have  a star wreath class coming up at Creative Scrapbooks on Monday November 21st.  Spots are limited so make sure you sign up quick!

Here is a sneak peek for you...

It is full of sparkle (which the picture doesn't show very well) and I love the vintage look of it... Hope you can join me!

And I have to send a very special thank you out to a lady named Malynda.  While we were at Remembrance Day ceremonies on Friday, she had asked to step in front of us to take photos of her daughter who was with the Girl Guide group.  When I could see that she had also captured my daughter in her photo, I asked her if she would mind emailing me the photos.  I quickly scribbled my email address down and hoped for the best.... and today received some awesome photos from her!

To be honest, I didn't take my camera as I have a really hard time with Remembrance Day... This is my daughter's first year in Girl Guides and I felt nervous for her to attend the ceremonies... because I am a MESS when it comes to soldiers and war and .... all of it.

We met up with a friend and my first words to her were a warning... "I WILL cry" I told her.

I was pretty good until the Last Post was played on the bugle...

and then I sobbed....

My heart breaks for military families - I have no idea how they do it.  They send their loved ones off and never know if they will come home.  Or maybe they come home but are never the same....

My grandfather served in the war and never really talked about it with us.  I often wondered how my grandmother handled it... a newborn baby, living in a new place... and her husband in another part of the world serving his country.  In the days of no emails and probably no phone calls either...

As I sat next to an amazing family during the ceremony, I overheard a man about my age ask his elderly mother if she had brought a chair.  When she mentioned that she had forgotten it, I quickly told them I would run to my vehicle and bring her one.  I admit it, I LOVE elderly people....  I spent much of the ceremony admiring this woman and the stream of family that continued to arrive during the 2 and a half hours.... When I spoke with her, she told me that all of her family came every year (from near and far) to honour her husband who had served.  I felt honoured to speak with her... and when her family was the last one to lay a wreath in honour of her husband, I cried even more.

I am so proud of my children who were very serious with their questions and their respect.

God Bless every single person who has ever served or loved someone who served - 

and thank you for your sacrifices.

Happy Halloween Eve!

Just a quick post tonight as we are scrambling to be ready for everything tomorrow!  My daughter is on the mend so thank you everyone for your well wishes :)  We spent most of the day today making treats to take to school tomorrow.  Check out these cool eyeballs!

 And when I say "day"... I'm not really exaggerating that much because we ended up making 80 of them!

Other than that, I have been brushing out wigs, planning my face painting and .... hoping for a day that isn't too cold!  Stay tuned for the costume pics tomorrow!

And thanks to everyone for the nice comments on the giveaway post!  Thanks to random.org, I have a winner!!

 So Erin - please send me your address to icecheeks@yahoo.com and I will send you your prize!

Wanna Peek?

DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY BELOW!!!  Go here and leave me a comment for some goodies!

So if you aren't on Pinterest.... I'm not sure whether I feel sorry for you or happy for you... because I am ADDICTED to the freakin site and it keeps me awake for hours!   A friend had a baby last month and when I found this, I was dying to make one.  So today, I went out and bought all the goodies and made this...

Isn't it CUTE?!!!!
And speaking of cute... check out my class at Creative Scrapbooks on Thursday:

This is a really unique mini album to celebrate the exciting new arrival of a brand new baby!  Whether you are expecting or you want to give it away as a gift, it is perfect for recording all the milestones in a new baby's life!  A few spots are left so call the store if you are interested!

Other than that, I am tending to my daughter who was just diagnosed with pneumonia tonight... so if you have a sec, please send her some good wishes!  Have a great week everyone!

A Whole Lotta Classes Goin On!.. AND A GIVEAWAY!!!!

Yep, classes are going crazy....  T'is the season I suppose but yikes, it is hard to keep up sometimes!  I spent two hours cleaning off the top... JUST the top... of my scrap table because it was  getting to the point where I could only see the two front corners of it!  If you live close, I have the following classes at Creative Scrapbooks coming up:

Monday Oct 17th - Glitter Christmas Card Class - FULL

Sunday Oct 23rd - Mistables Frame Class

Thursday Oct 27th - Baby Mini Album

(picture to come soon!)

Tuesday Nov 1 - Advanced Copics

Sunday Nov 6th - Cardinal Christmas Watercolour Card Class

Monday November 21st - Star Wreath Class

Tuesday November 22nd - Beginner Copics

Tuesday November 29th - Advanced Copics 

Yowza huh?

Oh... and if you live in Lloydminster,   I am there this weekend to teach Copics and Alcohol inks at a retreat with Scrapbook Studio!  I feel very honoured to have been ask to come join Jackie, Shauna and the rest of the gals ... and I hear there are very few spots left open if you are looking for some fun!

Last month, we did monochromatic colouring with Advanced Copics and I have to admit that they are some of my favourite cards to date.  They look easy but it is a bit tricky colouring with unusual colours!  I realized that I have 2 of the same stamp so... tell me which card is your favourite and one lucky commenter will win that stamp (and maybe some other goodies from the stuff that I cleared of my scrap table)! 

SEPIA - (warm grays)

BLACK AND WHITE

SEPIA (brown tones)

Contest will close on October 28th!

Sadly, summer has come to an end...

Sigh..........

Yep, it's true, summer has come to an end.  We spent a fabulous 2 weeks on holidays in BC - Kamloops, the middle of nowhere, Whister, Vancouver and Vancouver Island.  Each year, it get's harder and harder to leave "home" (what BC will always be to me even though I have lived here for 12+ years) and come back to Alberta.  I am not quite back into the swing of things but hoping this week will allow me to catch up on housecleaning and class prep!

So, without further adieu, please enjoy some of my favourite pictures from our holidays this year... and stay tuned for upcoming class details!

 Danika giving Grayson a smooch goodbye - the boys all went horseback riding while her and I hung out with this pretty little thing...

Her name was Mia and she was so sweet.  Danika fed her a carrot and they became the best of friends... she followed us everywhere!

 Pavilion Lake- the prettiest lake in the middle of nowhere.  They have these neat little formations in them that have NASA and UBC scratching their heads and studying them as they apparently represent some of the earliest life forms on ancient Earth.

 I wish I could tell you the name of this place....it was a rest stop on the way to Whistler and it as stunningly beautiful.  But, I neglected to see a sign with the name of it... Google and I will let you know when we find it out!

 The three amigos as the same rest stop - the sun was glaringly bright, hence the squinty eyes, but still beautiful!

 Grayson riding his bike at the bike park in Whistler.  He learned how to ride without training wheels while on the trip and it's all I can do to get him to walk now as he wants to ride everywhere!

 The Olympic rings at night in Whistler.  We ventured down to the Village late one night for ice cream and it was crazy busy with a free concert going on but I still managed to sneak a picture!

 Spencer learned how to ride the quad this year at Mom and Dad's... all by himself... Momma got a little teary eyed realizing how fast he is growing up!  He only crashed once...into Grandpa's fence...but shhhhhhhhhh.. we didn't tell!

 Sunset in BC - do I need to say anything else?

My ever so serious Dad..... good thing he doesn't have a clue about blogs and such or I may just get in trouble for this one!

That's it for now... hope you all have a fabulous week!

How Dumb Am I?

Or how to enjoy your summer....

First off, when you think you have the flu, and a stinkin fever that lasts way too many days, take heed of your friends' advice and go see the doctor. Because if you are a stubborn fool and ignore all smart advice, by the time you get to the doctor, you think you may be dying from the pain. Turns out it was a kidney infection but I am still not feeling up to par quite yet.

The good news is that I did manage to teach a Copic class and also make it out to the beach yesterday! I haven't put Copic cards on here for ages but thought I would share the three that we did this week in our advanced class - our focus was on backgrounds and we had a really great time. I have to admit that I really do love teaching Copics still... every class is different and people just love to colour - just like me!

Here are the three that we did:





These are all made with stamps from my new fave company, LaLaLand Crafts.
I just love colouring their images! This month's advanced class will be focusing on skin if you want to come play!

Busy Busy Busy!

Oh how I long for the lazy days of summer!!! Or maybe it is the sun I am longing for as it has been raining here for what feels like forever!

Just a quick post today to tell you all to have a peek over to the right hand side there and see my flashy new Copic button! I have an awesome boss at Creative Scrapbooks and she sent me to the very first Intermediate Copic Certification Course (in Canada) this past Saturday with the very lovely (and hugely talented) Sherrie Siemens.

We spent a lot of time colouring...so much so that my hand actually ached by the end of the class... and it was incredible! Sherrie did an incredible job and I came away feeling so inspired and just wanting to colour like crazy! I haven't been putting my Copics up here on the blog (long story so I will save you the details :) but think I might start again. It was a really nice getaway with my co-worker Michelle and I think we need to find more courses so we can do it again!

If you are in the Edmonton area, I have an Advanced Copics class at Creative Scrapbooks this Wednesday so come on out!

New Class... and strong hope!

So I have a huge dilemma....
The Canucks did not win game 6 and we are headed for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals tonight...
the dilemma?
I HAVE A COPICS CLASS TONIGHT!
I think I could cry...
I love teaching Copics but this will be so hard tonight :(
Normally I have someone text me during the game but I just can't do it tonight...
I want to tape the game and watch it when I get home
or do I?
Such a dilemma.... sigh....but I will say this




And speaking of classes, this is my next class


It is a painter tray (from Tim Holtz's line) - I am so in love with these things that I can't make enough of them!! I did this one as generic as I could so that it could be used for Family photos or wedding photos or pretty much anything! It is jam packed with other Tim goodies and techniques galore! There are a few spots left so give the store a call (780-944-1441) and come out and play!

Hope you are all having a great week!!

What Makes Me Happy Wednesday

Hello blog readers ... if you are still around, thanks so much! It has been a busy week around here... but no better day than today to make a "what makes me happy" post!

1. First off.... THIS makes me OH SO HAPPY!


This would be my Vancouver Canucks celebrating a goal... it is not the game-winning goal in double overtime last night that had me bawling like a baby (in happiness) but alas, it is celebrating a goal! Because I AM A CANUCKS FAN! I have been for as long as I can remember - and to be going to play for this

Makes me BEYOND happy!!! Go Canucks Go!


2. I am from Vancouver Island - and when people hear that, the first thing that I usually hear about is the rain. But believe it or not, I love the rain.... and miss it immensely! The only thing better than a good rainstorm is one that has lots of thunder and lightening to go with it!


3. New Tea - if I am having a quiet and gloomy day, I love treating myself to some new tea that I have never tried before. A good day is spent cuddled up with the kids and new tea :)


4. Hot showers - I love making the shower so hot that I have to work myself into it! And once in a while I treat myself and stay in that burning hot shower until the hot water tank empties itself! Now if only I had that fabulous rain showerhead to go with it!

5. And you, Trevor Linden... you still make me happy! I'm not sure what made me cry harder - when you were traded from Vancouver in 98 or when you retired in 08. You were an amazing leader, team player and humanitarian - an inspiration to many. And now that the Canucks are headed to the Cup finals, I wonder where you are and if you are as glued to the tv as I am!

I would post more but need to get my butt in gear for a Copic class this evening... thank goodness the Canucks have the night off! Have a great week everyone!

10 Things Tuesday

I almost forgot it was Tuesday today! And I am needing to write a happy list ... just to remind myself that all is well :)

Today's 10 things are from Pinterest! If you haven't caught on to this crazy site, I warn you that it can be very addictive! I have always been a blog surfer... clicking and clicking and clicking and finding the coolest things... well this is basically a website based on what people like - if you like something, you "pin" it to your board... and you can look at other people's boards too! I hadn't caught onto the craze until I realized that I was getting all these people visiting my blog from there - all because of this post that I did about my 10 favourite childhood games and someone "pinned" the photo that I used!

So here are some of my favourite pins - be sure to click on the links under the photos to check them out!:

STICK WREATH





AFFIRMATION STONES





CREPE PAPER FLOWERS





TREASURE JARS





WASHER ART
(wouldn't this look awesome in a boy's room... all grunged out?!)





HEARTS ON CANVAS





RUFFLE APRONS





OLD WINDOW ART





KIDS' WALL ART DISPLAY
(can I hear a BRILLIANT?!!!)






HOUSE ART
which I am IN LOVE with... simply beautiful!

Please share your pin boards with me too!!

Haven't Posted These in a While!

Some of my newerish (and yes that is a word!) and favourite layouts!!





Hoping to get some more done tonight... maybe...lol. Have a great weekend!

**Edited** - note to self, check email before blogging!!