In honour of a friend

Many local readers may have heard the story of Dallas and Krissy Martens and the tragedy that struck their family this Fall. The Hubs and I hung with Dallas in highschool. Character doesn't even begin to describe him. After marriages and mini vans come along you don't get together much at all but we still ran in the same circle of friends. The same friends who rallied together when we learned of Dallas's death and the horrific circumstances that Krissy was now in. Please go to Leica's blog to read the full story. The big Saskatchewan Scraps event is this weekend and the lovely Hollie Logue has put together a bake sale to help raise money for a wonderful project that Krissy is heading up in Roatan. Please take the time to read the details on Leica's blog, it is such a worthy cause. Definitely worthy of putting some calories on the ole behind and buying up all the baking the girls are pumping out. So be there. Tomorrow and Saturday. Mother Theresa School in Saskatoon. The scrapbooking event is by registration only so if you want to come and sit and scrapbook for a few hours (oh, ok, I am planning for 21 if I must tell the truth) you have to sign up and all the information is HERE. But if you want to come, buy up some baking, support Krissy's Lifebooks project and have a chat it is completely free of charge to get in the door. We'd love to see you there!

Are you ready?

Canadian Scrapbooker Spring call in T-minus 8 days. And counting. Always counting...why can't time just stand still for a little while so I can get the housework done??? Then the clock can start again so I can spend all afternoon scrapbooking! My perfect world. Well, if you haven't seen this yet, it's time to get crackin' people!

Canadian Scrapbooker wants to see and publish your work. If you have an unpublished, original layout that you want to share with others across Canada, please send it to us! It’s simple. Below you’ll find a quick guide on how to submit your work. Call For SPRING – Deadline November 15, 2009
We are currently looking for pages in the below themes:
Layouts that use the colour VIOLET
Layouts using tissue paper
Layouts inspired by Ukrainian Easter eggs
Spring is in the air
Layouts using vintage tags
Easter
Layouts inspired by nursery rhymes
We are also looking for that perfect photo for our Spring 2010 cover. If you have a photo that you have taken and you feel it would look fantastic on our magazine cover, please send it to us!

There is SO much talent in this province...let's show them what we've got! It is SO uber simple to send your work in. I dare ya.

Busted

I questioned whether to post this or not. It brings up really, really painful memories for me. Not only painful, but embarrassing. Not only embarrassing...but expensive. But I had to scrap it. It's a bit busy but I like the collage-y feel. Honestly, I don't remember this happening at all but obviously it did. A picture is worth a thousand words. And the story is 100% true. It did happen on my first day back in town and they really did deliver it to Hub's office. Welcome to Toon Town!

Just sweet boy stuff. Because I have sweet boys.

Sometimes stuff can be simple. Most of the time I am of the mind that to be good and satisfying, a layout or altered project must take a hundred years to complete with nine thousand seperate steps and have my blood, sweat and tears attached to it. Well, blogging friends, it just doesn't have to be that way. This little gem took me less than 20 minutes to complete from initial idea to ink dry and I LOVE it!
I just grabbed a piece of cardboard, cut it 6x6, distressed it up and smooshed green ink onto it. Then I stapled on these wallet size photos which I am completely smitten with of course. Stamped some green circles with these great circle stamps from My Stamp Box, cut them out, glued them on, covered them with Glossy Accents, stapled on the bit of twill that says "A boy is a joy", used the same for the hanging part (just turned backwards) and Voila! Bathroom wall hanging a la Kate. But I took the picture on the deck because my bathroom light is not very cooperative for getting good photos. It's a little messy and simple and the colours are me. I didn't have to cry, I didn't bleed and it took no time at all. Maybe I am learning something here. xox

Grab a kleenex y'all

When you get frustrated with your kids today...or find yourself saying for the nine hundredth time "get off of me!" watch this. Put yourself back in check. With everyone in the house sick this week I know I had to.
http://www.oprah.com/media/20090924-tows-stephanie-struggle-crash

Enough goofing...how about some scrapbooking?

SO nice to goof around with friends this week on my blog but let's get down to work, shall we? I really have been working. In my amazingly well designed (for me) space that my husband has been diligently working on. It ain't pretty but boy is it functional. Sure, I'd loooove to have a space that is all Ikea matchy-matchy with pretty shelves and jars and many fabric lined baskets but that just isn't in the cards {or the budget} right now so I will settle for re-purposed wood, used brackets and an ugly but totally useable desk with a cool removable work surface. That my husband built with his own 2 hands. As soon as I get everything squared away I have full intentions of posting pictures. And good intentions pave the way to hell. No really, I'll get it done because I have big plans for many, many projects this week. It's exciting to go down to my room and not cringe! A couple projects last week that I didn't hate:

I started out here with a completely blank white chipboard tag and challenged myself to use stamps. I inked it with the teal and pink then tried out some foil along the edges. Never played with foil before...I like it. You may see more of the foil. Then I stamped some snowflakes in VersaMark and used clear embossing powder (picture=no justice). Burned myself with my heat gun (why does that thing get the better fo me every time???) I stamped the cute little birdie and the sentiment in black then coloured said birdie with markers. I think I would maybe change the ribbon colours next time but I had no pink ribbon that I liked. Fastened it on with my new love*, added the silver snowflake sticker and 7Gypsies dangle.

This one I started with a blank sheet of white cardstock. Apparently I need a lesson in blending...that part didn't match my initial vision. Oh well, on with the show. Everything is stamped except for the stiches and handwriting. I never change anything...I just consider it 2 photos down, 9,369 to go.

*New Love= THIS:

I held off for a long while...I mean really, it's just a stapler right? I have lots of sizes of staplers. But OH is it ever SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT! I enjoy making tags and attaching small items to my layouts and the staplers were so flimsy. This thing is like butter. Try it out. You won't be disappointed!

To Catch a Crook

Finally, our cloak and dagger capers have contributed to our cause. We confronted the charm criminal and continued to be cordial.

Courteously asking for this cruel course of crime to cease. It quickly turned crooked and copious amounts of crude, childish fisticuffs ensued.

Char has criminal charisma but we have considerable clout.
Charm victory is ours!
Now to cart her off to where she can never again contrive charm chaos. The poor gal, she needs some Saucy-therapy in her life.