Keep The Faith - Canadian Scrapbooker Winter Edition

Allison Orthner wrote a wonderful article in this months edition of Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine about scrapbooking your Faith. I submitted a couple of layouts before the actual deadline but didn't really feel finished yet. On the night of the deadline I was on the computer sorting through some photos and one came up of a friend's son when he was in South Africa. It is a moving photo and right away I knew I wanted to do something with it so I had e-mailed the kid who took the photo and asked him to send it to me in a higher resolution. I was SO glad I had done that because the night in question, this photo flashed up on my screen and I thought "YES! That is the ONE!" I had no layout ideas. I had no time (the deadline was in 45 minutes), I didn't even have any photo paper for my printer. So what do you do in a mini crisis? Whip out your sewing machine of course! This really just goes to show that you never know what the magazine is looking for. This layout has no current product on it at all. Actually, it barely has ANY product on it LOL. A piece of Bo Bunny card stock, some really old Prima letters that I painted black (the paint was still wet when I took the photo!), some thread and a black marker. That's it. Sometimes a layout is built around the photo and the story it tells. No big embellishment needed. So from start (printing the photo on card stock) to finish (photographing the completed layout in bad light and e-mailing it to CS) this took me about 25 minutes. One of the quickest, easiest layouts I have ever done and also one that speaks to me the most. It just flowed together like it was already planned. As Allison said in her article, sometimes you are inspired by what other people do. Thank-you Levi for being an inspiration.

Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine Fall Edition

I did NOT want the summer to breeze by too quickly because let's face it, we live in a part of the world that has a 3 month growing season and that is if we are really, really lucky. But I did want it to hurry just a teeny tiny little bit because I was really REALLY looking forward to this:
Page 66, in the Passport to Creativity section!

This is a feature in CS that I have loved since the very first one I read. I thought how amazing it was for those artists to have a whole 2 pages all to themselves to showcase their work and would I ever make it onto those pages? It was a dream. And now it's here! I was positively vibrating with excitement when I picked it up at my LSS yesterday.

Added to this honour was being included in Sue Sykes' breast cancer article.

This layout was a labour of love and some really big tears. I didn't even care that I had to use a photo from 50 pounds ago. And I got glass in my foot smashing the mirror. LOL It has no fancy, trendy product on it. It is just paint, glass and words. The words were the most important thing to me. So thank-you Sue for your heartfelt article and thank-you Canadian Scrapbooker for allowing me to be a part of such a beautiful piece of work.

Congratulations all around for some more local talent as my friend Sheryl was another artist featured in the Passport to Creativity section! Check her out at Sherylsplayz.

Photo by KMP Photography

The other artist was also a local girl! I haven't had the privilege of meeting Jamie yet but you can stalk her blog here.

A huge congratulations must go out to my sweet friend Lizette for getting one of these!For her layout featuring one of her handsome men. Way to go Lizette! I knew you could do it!

A shout out to some more prairie girls whose work graced the pages this issue were Amanda LePage from Vonda (Wow girl, this was your issue!), Glenda Tkalac of Moose Jaw and Karen Welch-Smith from Saskatoon. Congratulations! As well, I have to say hi to Kelsy Propp who isn't local but I met her at Camp Croppin' in 2009 and I always love seeing her work in print! As well as Lynne Mizera who I have never met but she is the mother of Donna Houston who owns Inspired Designs Scrapbook Boutique and I secretly stalk her work! LOL I loved the mosaic piece she did on page 73. So unique in both subject and execution.

Thank-you ladies for all the continued inspiration! I can't believe it but I am already looking forward to the winter edition. But please summer, don't take that as a sign to hurry away. I'm not done with you yet!

Camp Croppin' on my mind

The time between now and Camp Croppin' is going by so very quickly. Last year was a whirlwind...I only had a few layouts to bring but really wanted to enter the competition because all the fees are donated to the Alberta Children's Hospital therapeutic scrapbooking program. Worthy cause, no? I think it's fabulous so I am of course compiling my layouts again this year. This is what I won with last year...a photo of my dear friend Annalisa's children.

As soon as I saw this photo I knew I wanted to do something with it. So...lots of painting and sewing on this. Small details and I love the "whimsy" care of Sheryl. I was stuck half way through the project looking for things that were small enough to add and I had nothing. Like nothing. I thought I would take a brain rest and go drop some stuff off at Sheryl's that I'd been meaning to get to her and dig through her vintage button collection to complete another layout I was working on. Just for a break. And she says "Oh! I forgot! I have a gift for you." She called it a "tiny jar of whimsy" and had all these small bits and bobs in it that were just perfect for the Oath layout. Strange how things work out, isn't it? She had no idea I needed stuff like that. I just asked her for metal buttons. LOL

This year I am really looking forward to travelling with some friends and showing the rest of Canada what Saskatchewan is made of. We seriously have some mad talent in this province. It is going to be an excellent weekend! Are you signed up yet? Check out the Camp Croppin' website for all the details!

Spring has Sprung AGAIN! A Little CS love.

I have a love/hate relationship with secrets. I LOOOVE them because they are exciting and thrilling and I love the anticipation. I HAAAAATE them because I am impatient and I hate the anticipation. LOL So head on over to PRIMA <----- and you can share in the anticipation {and maybe a prize package!} Another thing I have a wiggly time waiting for is publication! No posting until the issue is out...so here it is! Out on stands at a scrapbooking store near you!

Is it Spring yet?

Guess who got a very important e-mail this week?! Woo hoo! Be sure to pick up the Spring 2010 edition of Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine. Darn I looooove seeing my art in print!
I've been creating more and more...in between cleaning the scrap space. I have insane photos to share here later in the week. They are not to be believed. I'm shocked the children survived. If we had a cat, we would have lost it for sure. LOL
Like vintage tags? I do! I'm SO surprised I didn't set the smoke alarm off with these. Ever played with fire in your scrapbook room? You should try it sometime. It freaked the Hubs right out. Tee hee. Burn some paper, melt some wax. It helps you forget that it's -31 outside. xo

Saskatchewan doesn't just SCRAP...WE ROCK!!!

Dawn Hueser did a FAB tribute on her blog to all the wonderful SK girlies who grace the pages of the current issue of Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine. I am making a special trip over to the LSS to pick one up the second my hubs gets home! I am proud and honoured to call some of these ladies my friends.And to Jackie Ludlage, Co-Founder of CSM, you are truly an inspiration in generosity and the spirit of pay it forward. As you can tell, I was pretty jazzed to meet you.
Spread that love around girlfriend. That is what keeps us all buying those coveted issues!!! And of course, my personal favourite thing in the magazine:

No matter who it is or where they are from, I get a thrill everytime I see this icon. First time published! Never gets old.
Might I suggest a future Passport To Creativity featuring our wonderful little province of scrappers? As you can tell from the Rambling Dave fiasco-turned-party we are a tight knit group. Way to go girls!!!
So hop those blogs people, there is going to be a whole lot of tooting in Saskatchewan this week! You'll hear from me when the Fall issue comes out!

Camp Croppin' win and I promise it won't be as long as an Oscar speech

Anyone have a few photos for me from Camp Croppin'? So many people to meet, projects to do, make n' takes to squeeze in I did not even touch my camera. And I call myself a scrapbooker! For shame. I know Lizette snapped a couple photos with two different cameras of my table of new scrap buddies Jody, Donna, Kelsy and Sarah. So whoever owned those cameras, shoot me an e-mail! Donna has a great on-line store based out of Fort McMurray, AB. Fab prices and she SHIPS! Check her out HERE for the latest and greatest in scrapbooking supplies!

At our table, Jody got a nod for one of her cards! She won a great product package. And Kelsy walked away with a HUGE door prize!!! It was a Xyron Personal Cutting System with ALL the cartridges and a carrying case! Shut the DOOR! That is a FAB prize.

Barb Riley (Saskatchewan) won "Best Journalling" with her AMAZING layout "Chicks Dig Scars". I was SO happy for her as I have seen the layout up close. The journalling was from the heart, all about her family's emotional battle with her husband's heart condition. He is well and back to his old activities which makes the win that much sweeter! Congratulations Barb!

Forgive me my scatterbrained tendencies but I don't know the names of the other winners. Maybe Leica can help me out with that??? There was a prize for "Best Photography" that last year's overall winner won. Beautiful photos of her two boys. Then there was the third runner up, second runner up and overall winner. Forgive the long post, but for me this is rather awkward to blog about. Initially, I thought I had a great shot at the Journalling prize, then when Barb won it I thought I was done. All the other prizes were announced and we were all cheering and having a great time. Then Katarina announced the overall prize winner. And it was me. Well shut the DOOR. Or HOLD THE PHONE (as Sue Sykes would say) Did I ever lose my mind. I bawled the entire way up to the front and the whole thing is one big blur. Photos were taken (Lord help me, I hope THOSE don't get published!) and I carried my prize back to my table. The box was so huge I couldn't carry anything else so Leica shoved the gift certificate down the front of my shirt! LOL So I got $500 worth of scrapbooking supplies all by American Crafts who I LOVE (Thickers...oh how I adore you), a weekend for two at the Bloomin' Inn one of the BEST scrapbook retreat centres in Canada and my winning layout will be published in the Fall edition of Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine.
It's a dream I hope I don't wake up from anytime soon. So please, please, please help a scatterbrain out and if you have any photos to share, please do so! Photos of any of the winners, people having fun, shots of your table (or mine for that matter!), pics of classes, etc. Shout them out! Thank-you to all the sweet gals who had so many nice things to say. Can't wait to meet up with you all again soon!
***ETA PHOTOS*** Thanks for the photos Kelsy!!!
Sarah...the nice face. The photo before this one was HILARIOUS!

Donna and that WEIRD banana holder. At least I HOPE that's what it is...LOL

Our AWESOME table of scrappers! From left, Sarah, me, Leica, Jody, Donna and Kelsy.
Thanks again girls! xox

"My Oath as a Big Brother" will appear in the Fall 2009 edition of Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine!

Do you have your issue?

Spring edition of Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine is out! This is me on page 74...FIRST TIME PUBLISHED!!!

Journey...it really was a journey. Pregnancy does not bring out my patient side. LOL I love all the sewing and texture on this. Some coins from Mexico were a great addition.

Christmas came early!

Can I toot my own horn again? I am still pretty excited about the layout that Leica Forrest did for Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine. Page 20 if you haven't checked it out yet! And for our American friends who don't get the magazine, you can check out a brief write up on the Crop N Craft Room Website. This website is still under construction but some links are ready to go. Check out the Design Team link...in the write up CS did, they put out a call for used supplies. Well, you never know how that is going to go. People have been hugely generous! And I believe there are 30,000 copies of Canadian Scrapbooker printed each issue (please correct me if I am wrong) so I am a little afraid at how much is going to come flooding into the office! We live in a remote area so we do not have a post office box, we get our mail at my husband's office. I think the secretaries who pick up the mail are getting a little worn out now! The magazine article was not out even 3 weeks and people have started sending things already. The kids are so excited to start class again in January! So even though she has no way of finding my blog unless she googled me, I still really wanted to recognize

GAIL from SARNIA, ONTARIO.

hers was the very first box of stuff for the kids due to the article in CS and she wrote me a lovely letter along with it! The stuff covered half my dining table!!! Check out Gail's generosity:
I swear the stack of paper she sent was 3 inches thick!



It's so funny that this stuff is coming in right now...for one thing it feels like early Christmas! But just the other day at our last class of the season some of the girls were looking at an album I am doing for my niece and they were pointing out specific stickers and embellishments I had used that are fairly recent (like in the last 6 months or so) and were asking if we had that so they could scrapjack the page they liked. I said unfortunately no, we didn't have stuff like that but maybe we could work on it in the New Year and see if we could buy a few things. Well, no need! Several things came right in Gail's package! Thank-you! Thank-you! Thank-you!!!

Other packages have been arriving almost daily so every other day or so I'll thank a new person! This class has gotten so much bigger than I ever expected...I can NOT thank everyone enough! Classes are done now until mid January when school gets back into full swing. Our last hurrah is on Dec 21st...the high school asked me to come in and be one of the stations for their Christmas Extravaganza. It's the last day of school so the kids get to sign up for different fun activities. I'll take some pictures and post them next week.

A Layout About Me...published!

So this is supposed to be a scrapbooking blog...but where is the scrapbooking stuff, you ask? I have been asking myself that very same question. I am finally over the sickness part of this pregnancy and it seems I am scrapbooking more than I ever have but the blog is still lacking. Well, that is because I have been saving all my projects for other things. Exciting things. FAB things that everyone needs to check out! A long, LONG time ago I promised fantastic scrapbooking news to come in December. Well, there are 2 great things. First, I was asked to be on a design team for the Crop N Craft Room which is my former LSS. A small team but we are plugging along with some great ideas. Bear with us, the website is a work in progress right now but so far I think it's coming along great. I have been doing a few things for the website which I can't post on my blog...so that is where at least some of my projects are going! Second, the amazingly talented and huge hearted Leica Forrest did a layout about me and my scrapbooking class for kids and it was published in Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine. Check out page 20, you won't be disappointed. I know I wasn't!!! Just goes to show that a small town girl can make a difference with a little Faith and the right people in her corner. Don't give up on things just because you think it's difficult!!! Keep striving for your goals, you'll get there. A HUGE thank-you to Leica for all her hard work...there are just no words to thank her enough for what she did for me. Currently, she is soaking up the rays off the coast of Mexico teaching on the Canadian Crop and Cruise. Oh how I wish I was there with her!!! Check out her blog and send her some love. This girl is seriously out of control in the amazing scrapbooking category. I can't wait to have coffee with her again sometime soon. Be safe Leica!
A couple projects on the go right now...I did a mini book with my fantabulous Zutter Machine that I won at the JSI Spring Crop in April and it actually turned out~! Thanks to Ralna for her tutorial, this thing was giving me serious trouble. But now I'm a Zuttering fool.
Check out me and my bad self: (This original idea came from Wilna Furstenberg's Make N Take at the JSI Spring Fling)


There are lots more pages but it's the same idea.
I love all the tags and funky ribbon.
Don't forget to put a little something on the back!

I'm also working on other altered projects like scrapbooked Christmas ornaments, other mini books and homemade Christmas cards/letters/envelopes/all in one type of thing. Thank-you to Wilna Furstenberg for her wonderful RAK. She sent me Season of Joy book by MM and it is really outstanding. I am doing 2 of the projects in there right now! And Wilna is in the book which is great too...I love her style. This book is a must have for the holiday scrapper.

What else to tell??? I'll have LOTS of trip LOs coming your way before Christmas...I have grand plans of finishing (did I just say the F word???) my 2003 trip to Mexico, 2007 trip to the Dominican and my son's first year album all before the baby comes in April. Plus all the Christmas projects I am into right now. Am I crazy? Yes, yes I am.
And loving every minute of it.