CHA Recap

So...just when I decide to get back into blogging, I go and get sick :(

And thanks Sarah for the nice comment ...we need to have a mom's morning out!

So CHA was...well...fantastic.  No other way to put it.  The inspiration was AMAZING.  New products, new twists on old products, and the projects that the companies had in their booths made me want to come home and create like crazy!  

Here are some of my favourite goodies (and apologies if I don't remember which company or who made it as I took over 400 pictures!)

 Tim Holtz's new configuration book... with a cover......ooohhh the things you could do with it!

 A display in the Ideaology booth - love the hearts!

 Tim's new alarm clock - it comes empty...

 This project in the Prima booth simply stunned me.  STUNNED me!  Check out below for the full picture!

 Wow hey?  If you know who made it, please share with me!

 Another one that I don't know who made it but I loved the mixed media intertwined with the layout!

 A gorgeous and unique travel layout...and I can't remember who by :(

Prima again - the layering on this was amazing!  Click on it so you can get a nice close look!

 Inside Dyan Reaveley's art journal - she was a delight to talk with.  She was so very modest and open and...refreshing!  A great inspiration!

 Can you imagine CHA without him?  Tim was always surrounded by hordes of women...and was gracious to even the pushy ones!

 The new Distress Paints in action  - honestly, the product development  people at Ranger are amazing...because this paint is unlike anything I have ever seen before!

 Gorgeous clock on display at the Graphic 45 booth using their new Secret Garden line.

 Cute little car in the Graphic 45 booth with their new French Connection line.

 Sadly, I don't remember who made this canvas but the textures we so fantastic!

 A tag in the Stamper's Anonymous booth - a friend gave me a great idea yesterday to create this as the cover of my art journal!  Stay tuned...

 I just loved this canvas by Kate Crane for the Ranger challenge - check out her blog to see her creative process!

 Wendy Vecchi's Art Parts - with her fancy gold embossing paste and that brick stencil - LOVE!

And...drum roll please....

MY MOST ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE THING?????????????

Well, I was so honestly dumbfounded...that I didn't take a picture!!!!!!!!!  But, I did rush home and talk my boss into placing a big order!!!!!!!!  I can't wait to play!!!!!!!

So for now, a video borrowed from blog world will have to do :)

ACK!!!!! Don't you love it?!!!!!!!!

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!

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!

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!

Bear with Me

Please?
I hadn't blogged in so long that I thought I would get all smart and give it a makeover... never do this when you have about 5000 other things to do on the same day!
Needless to say, after panicking that I had completely mucked things up, I think I am now happy with it until I can figure out how to move that little bit up at the top outta the trees!
And if you are desperately seeking a new makeover, I strongly suggest this fabulous post I found today!

http://mamaof3munchkins.blogspot.com/2009/05/cute-blog-templates.html

Don't fall outta your chair....

I am alive!
And yes, I do still scrapbook... and cardmake.... and create.

A lot has happened since I last posted - I will do my best to fill in but I will list a few highlights in the creative department....

1. Taking a class with TIM HOLTZ! He is an awesome teacher and it was even more fun to take it with some great friends. I also got to take some great classes with Graphic 45, Bo Bunny, Little Yellow Bicycle and much more!

2. Flying out to New Brunswick to join the APOS girls at a retreat and teach some classes. These girls are so much fun and it was an honour to join them. No sleep for 3 days almost did me in but it was the best time. Thanks Alissa again :)

3. Copics Copics Copics - I am teaching Copics like crazy. A beginner and advanced class every month and they are going great. Our store (Creative Scrapbooks) has a lot of new teachers and the classes are building like crazy. If you live in the area, don't miss out!

4. I just finished teaching my first online photo editing class through A PILE OF SCRAP!

We realize not everyone will have Photoshop - so one class will be Photo Editing with Photoshop ($30)
and one will be with a free program that I will provide you with links for the free download.($20).

These to lessons will teach you how to do the following:
Cropping a Photo
Changing a Photo to Black and White or Sepia
How to Use Text on your Photos
How to Use Photoshop Brushes
How to use Photo Masks
How to Eliminate Unwanted Objects from Your Photos
Focal Black and White (colouring parts of the photo but leaving the rest black and white)
How to Use Photoshop Actions
How to Use Photo Plugins
How to Create a Photo Collage
How to Brighten and Sharpen your Photos
How to Create and Place a Watermark on Your Photos


You will receive the 10 lessons in your email so that you can work at it on your own time. Only those that have paid for the class will have access to the information. The information will stay there for you to refer to after the class is done and I will do my best to answer any and all questions! If you are interested, please leave me a message and I will send you the info!

And that is it for now - but look out, I may go post crazy this week!

SOTW Sept 20-26 and a few other things...

Hello!!!! Is this thing on??.....

I think I almost forgot how to log on to my poor old blog. Last week, I made a new best friend - his name is Buckley... if you haven't met him, be thankful....but when you need a friend, let me tell you that you won't find a better one... he looks just like this:

And let me also tell you that the pillow that my Momma sent home with me in the summer was also well loved last week - but the good news is, I am back and raring to go!!

I did a quick sketch this week after a bunch of girls were chatting over on the forum about using your well-intended saved up scraps....


You know that big box that we all fill with leftovers and then somehow never use?? It's kind of like leftovers in my fridge - I can't bear to throw it out but then getting around to using it just seems like it's never what I'm wanting... but my new rule is that I must use scraps to create cards so I will see how well it works for me. In the meantime, I am gonna do this sketch three times over this week (one for each of the kids) and see how different I can make each one look.
APOS has also started carrying a new brand of chipboard embellishments so Alissa decided to offer up a contest on both Facebook and the Forum - they aren't in the online store just yet but if you're lucky enough to be able to get some in your hands, be sure to enter!!
I am off to teach another Copic class tonight - this time it is a nice little class so it should go a lot quicker than normal! I have some more exciting Copic news to share.... as soon as I get all the details!!
Have a great week!!

JUMP RIGHT IN

Ahhhh summer, how I miss you already. We got back from holidays about midnight on Monday, spent Tuesday running around like a chicken with my head cut off and then got my oldest off for his first day of school on Wednesday.

So much to share...

1. our holidays started out not so well when my Mom fell and broke her hip, but it ended up with a fabulous week at a lake with some special friends.
2. APOS! got a new Inspiration Team and I am excited to see all the new changes coming down the line with that! Be sure to check out the blogs of the fabulously talented DIANA, MEG, TAMMY, CHERYL, VALERIE and BETHANY (who is working on a blog so stay tuned for the link!!)
   
3. And some new changes happening in my life that I am really happy about but just not ready to share quite yet!

Look for some online crops happening soon over on the APOS! forum - but in the meantime, enjoy a few of the vacation pictures!

10 Things Tuesday - What I Love About Summer

In the middle of glorious weather here, I was inspired to write today's list about the 10 things I love about summer! It would be easy enough to say pretty much everything (minus the blood loss to those pesky mosquitoes) but I will get a bit more specific....

1. No socks!

I can go without socks and don't get weird looks about it. I hate socks...hate them. I only wear them in winter if I absolutely have to and often get weird looks for that. Once I get in the house, I can't get them off fast enough and so summer is true freedom for my always hot feet.

2. Reading Time

Im not sure what it is that makes me read more in the summer - maybe it's the fact that we are at the park pretty much every day and I need something to occupy my time. Now that the kids are getting older, I can actually sit and relax instead of constantly chasing kids and doing head counts. Oh and please note that adorable baby is not me...but could have been!

3. Road Trips

Oh how I love them! Little road trips to find a new spray park or even to check out the brand new Prehistoric Forest that just opened up (on the schedule for tomorrow). I love being able to pack up a picnic and head out.
4. Friend Time


It seems as though everyone's schedules calm down and I am far more likely to be able to meet up with friends during the summer. It may just be to meet up at the park but once in a while I get lucky and I even get to go to an adult movie...without kids!! Oh wait, not that kind of adult movie...I just mean one without the words Disney or Pixar involved.

5. Sun Tans


Why is it that once my skin turns that lovely shade of brown, I feel so much better? The funny suntan lines of my sandals or even my necklace feel comforting... although the white skin that isn't tanned could truly blind someone!

6. Salads and Fruit

My two favourite food groups and I love how easy it becomes in the summer time to make it a meal. We eat salads almost every night and can eat 4 or 5 different fruits and make it a meal. I truly think cherries and blueberries should be in season all year long - it would make me a very happy Momma!

7. Fans

I love fans...I find the constant noise comforting and love the feel of a cool breeze of one blowing at me. I have found that I sleep much better when the fans are on - but more because of the noise than the cooling off of them. Here in happy Alberta, we have a thunderstorm almost every night which really helps to cool things off but I still love the comfort of a fan. I hate when it starts to turn cold enough that the fans all get stowed away until next summer :(

8. Long Days

You may have just read that and wondered what I like about long days...but I like the long of it. I love waking up to a bright sunny morning and having it still be light out at 11 o'clock at night. Long days are the best.... especially knowing that soon winter will be here and the days get so short and it is pitch black dark out when we wake up... making it really hard to get out of your nice warm bed.

9. Water


Oh clean water, how I miss you... Being a BC girl, I came from the land where lakes were aplenty and CLEAN! C.L.E.A.N.
Not like the swamps in this province (ugh).... So instead we settle for spray parks. And those make me happy!

10. HOME


Yep, this is the true best part of summer. I get to go home. To family. To the ocean. To the mountains. To clean lakes. To awesome beaches. To the Island. To friends.
Home...
(PS I leave for this special place on Friday! No computer access for a while so catch ya on the flip side!)