Prizes anyone?

Short post...I have commendeered Barb's laptop and am not giving it back until I reveal the winner of the fabulous tickets to the Saskatoon Soaps, tell a bit about Camp Croppin' and of course leave you with a little Frugal Friday tidbit. So the whole post revolves around prizes...woo hoo!

Kim D and the gang! Hope you enjoyed the Soaps tonight! Tell me all about it when we get home. Glad you could use the tickets.

Camp Croppin' has so far been a roaring good time...I already won a door prize and got to read my top 5 reasons why I love Camp Croppin'. Good times. More on that later.

And Frugal Friday. My quick tip of the day has to do with planning and getting the most you can out of your special events. The event that I am at right now has the potential to offer you a number of free products and promotions. Plan ahead and take advantage! If this is what you enjoy, schedule yourself a day of getting free stuff! I am planned down to my last minute here and consequently enjoying every one of those minutes. I like to get the best bang for my buck and all it takes is a little forethought. Planning ahead really does save you money. More on that another day... I think I am annoying my roommates. LOL

Laughter really IS the best medicine

When I was in high school I had a serious crush on Shakespeare. My favourite play was not Romeo and Juliet as other young girls proclaim...I liked MacBeth. There was only one reason I liked that play so much...Grade 11 English...and his name was Mr. Feschuk. He also happened to be the director of the Fall musical, thereby nurturing not only my love of English class but egging on my inner extrovert as well. LOL Somewhere out there lies a copy of actual VIDEO of me in a hideous pink dress, singing solo in "Is There Life After High School?" Lord help me Lizette if you actually HAVE that I. will. just. die.

Mr. Feschuk is just a wonderful, kind soul who loves to make people laugh which makes him a perfect addition to the Saskatoon Soaps. Click on the name to check out their site. They are a bunch of local actors who perform at the Broadway Theatre once a month. This month's evening is a fundraiser for Mr. Feschuk. Have you heard the news lately about the Good Samaritan? Read all about it HERE.

So Mr. Feschuk {I am in my thirties and I still can't bring myself to call him Tim} was just trying to do something right...and was seriously hurt for it. His friends and colleagues have dedicated this Friday night to him...and I can't attend. I was SO disappointed when I learned that it was on the same night that I will be in Calgary for Camp Croppin'. I still wanted to support this effort so the Soaps {who usually only sell tickets at the door} have kindly allowed advanced ticket sales. Thank-you so much! I can't be there, but one of YOU can! Leave a comment here and answer this question: WHO WAS YOUR FAVOURITE TEACHER? Where would we be without them? Send your peeps! Post a link to my blog on your blog, Facebook or Twitter, shoot me an e-mail at scrapbaby333@yahoo.ca telling me you have done that and be entered a second time! I am just going to do a straight draw on Thursday morning. The performance is on Friday night. Check out the Saskatoon Soaps website link above for details. So let's support Mr. Feschuk in a BIG way...he deserves it. Not only for risking his life trying to stop a crime but also for all the young lives he has touched as a teacher. From the bottom of my heart Tim, thank-you for your influence.

Well...at least it hasn't been a month...

Ok ok...long time no blog. I know. But SO much happens at this time of year and I am not talking about Christmas shopping (that's done). On to more important endeavors! I am wrapping up a circle journal rotation (SO FUN) and of course following the 12 Tags of Christmas by the one and only Mr. T!m Holtz. I seriously love his techniques. I really, really need to get over to Staples today and get more tags. But I digress...

Remember back in the summer when I had my little rant about the rude woman in the line-up at Starbucks? No, of course you don't because you have far more important things to keep in your head than my rants! LOL You can read about it HERE to refresh your memory. Well, true to the natural course of my life shortly after I posted that all medical heck broke loose in our extended family and the rest of the summer was spent putting the art aside and taking care of ours. Fall led into some catching up around the house and yard and by the time November rolled around I was ready to dive in again. Head first. No goggles. I have proof, you should see my scrap room. So I finally, finally got something 100% amazing created for Danya at Starbucks and I will drop it off to her tomorrow. I hope she likes it.

Go cut up a Starbucks cup and make something out of it...the red Christmas ones are SO adorable. Happy scrapping! xo

Spoiled in real life AND in blogland!

I won this bit of scrapbooking heaven on Vicki Boutin's blog this week!!!

Vicki will be at Saskatchewan Scraps this November (are YOU signed up?!? CLICK HERE) and I am SO excited to meet her.
She is teaching an amazing 7Gypsies class that will for sure be the highlight of my day. Ok, who am I kidding? It will be the highlight of my year. I took a 7Gypsies class back in March in Calgary. Soooo, it will be my biggest highlight since then. Besides the whole baby-is-walking-and-talking thing. A girl's got to have priorities, right? LOL

I am actually thinking about Christmas right now...I have had a Christmas album idea in my head since my oldest son was born. He's turning 5 in the Fall. I know, hey? Look up "Scrap Procrastinator" in the dictionary and THERE I AM. So when I saw these on Vicki's blog they immediately went into my save file. To be scraplifted later. Isn't she FAB?



So thank-you SO MUCH Vicki! I will be stalking the postman now. I'm sure he appreciates that. {NOT} The poor guy...ever since my first publication last year, he doesn't even walk up the driveway anymore. He just stands on the sidewalk with his arm out hoping it doesn't get ripped off in the process. Hey, everyone has to have a hobby. Even if it involves traumatizing the mail guy.

FINALLY...a little bit of everything

Ok, so I don't know how to use one of those fancy random number generators and I don't have that many followers to add to the draw anyway! I am a simple gal...I wrote down the names on scraps of paper and did a good old fashioned draw. And the winner is...drumroll please...


CORINNE!!!




Wow lady, do you have horseshoes around your neck these last couple of months or what? LOL I have a package of card making goodness for you but I can't drop it off until the first week in August. Hope that is OK with you!

As for jacking Keli's layout...I had a good time with it. The photos are courtesy of Sheryl Schmidt. She was testing out her zoom lense at the last Sask Scraps event. A good time was had by all! Thanks for the goofy pics Sheryl. Love ya!

Off to the lake...blogging is being ditched for sun (hopefully). Wish me luck!

Just a little shameless self promotion

Well...FINALLY. I have figured out how to put one of those follower thingies on here. It really wasn't that difficult once you actually, well...ummmm...follow the instructions. I may have just a tiny problem with jumping in first and asking questions later. But I have that all sorted out now...so a little celebrating is in order! All of this week's new followers will be put into a draw for some YUMMY scrapbooking goodies. And to inspire you a little more, here is a layout by my best gal pal Keli...who really needs to scrapbook more because I think she's great. So, no copyright infringement implied but Kel, you've been jacked.

I don't know why (I am only moderately in love with yellow usually) but I LOVED how she worked the colour on this. And I always love the quirky, cute pictures she takes of herself! It just jumped out at me. So I am throwing down the gauntlet...the challenge is to do a layout inspired by this one. 2 elements must be there: Picture that totally shows your fun side AND a little bit of hand doodling/writing. Post your link in the comments and we'll hop the blogs! Plus an extra entry in the draw for the participants. I'll post mine on Friday and draw for winners Monday. Complete with photos because I finally have a handle on the Canon. Yeah me!

Pay It Forward Baby!

If you read my blog often, you may know of a tiny, little addiction I have to Starbucks. Just minor. I can quite anytime I want. Really. So my sis asks me to garage sale with her this morning and I of course ditch all my plans, pack up the boys and head across town. And on the way, there just happens to be a Starbucks. Is it my fault they put one there? No. It's like a moth to a flame people. But I digress...
There was this absolutely snooty woman in front of me who was on her cell phone the entire time she was in the drive thru line. Like the entire time. Even when the ever patient and polite server asked her 3 times what she wanted to order. And the woman told the server to hold on. How rude. I almost yelled out my window. But I wanted to set a good example for my boys so I sat back silently fuming and just waited. You would expect after that kind of treatment the server would be rude right back. But nope. She was sunny and smiling even after little miss high maintenance handed the coffee back and asked her to dump some of the coffee out and add one of those cap stir stick things. Well, at this point I am rolling my eyes and blaming the woman for all the great garage sale deals I am missing. LOL So I pull up to the window and am blinded by the sweetest smile EVER. I told her to google me before I drove away. Dania, (I hope I spelled that right) you made my day with your sunny smile and excellent service. So welcome to the world of scrapbooking blogs...take a peek around in my archives to the right and you'll discover I love to give stuff away. It's a little thing we like to call RAK (Random Act of Kindness). Please e-mail me at scrapbaby333@yahoo.ca and I would love to send you an original Kate creation. Just for being your friendly, wonderful self today.
Everyone can take a lesson from this young lady. Certainly me because I would have told that lady outright how rude she was being. Pay it forward today and do something nice for someone. It will make you feel good inside and it will show on the outside. Cheers.

Like always, I didn't think it through

Ok, so I didn't quite think my RAK through. I probably should have had a draw of all the correct answers! But Pam was first so Pam wins! I didn't think it was overly difficult when I was doing the layout...but then again I was the person who thought it up. But a few family members had some trouble...not naming any names. So way to go Pam and you have some FAB Riff Raff goodness coming your way. Let's get together!!! We have to talk jewelry because I want to jingle for Christmas!!! Here's a shameless plug for Pam's blog as well because she makes to die for jewelry to bling you out this holiday season. Check her out HERE.

I'll blog again later in the week with a bunch of stuff you MUST see. Tim Holtz is having his "12 tags of Christmas" and I teach at the Boys and Girls Club tomorrow night! Lots later! Be blessed! xo

Just Cr8

You totally have to check out this website I mentioned a few posts ago...JUST CR8. Really gr8 Canadian based site for scrapbookers. WOW. Great inspiration in the gallery, fun challenges and amazing people! I just finished up with their Idols competition. I think 64 people were signed up to participate and the rules were simple: Sign up. Do one challenge a week for 5 weeks. Get one point for particiapting each week (and if you miss a week that's ok, you're not disqualified you just don't get points). Get more points if you ended up in one of the judges top 5. My goal for the entire competition was to get more than 5 points. And I got 9! So that was very exciting. Now I'll just keep plugging along, entering things that interest me until I hit the scrap jackpot! LOL. Here's a layout from week 2 where we had to cr8 a rebus puzzle: Leave a comment...there will be a little RAK for the first person who figures out the puzzle! I'm feeling a little Riff Raff coming someone's way! My new FAVE thing.

Without Photos...does life really even exists???

Still no camera. And I think the mail girls are getting tired of seeing my face. I've become a mail truck stalker. The worst kind. At least in a bigger city, you can sit by your front window and jump on the UPS guy when he comes up the walk. Nobody really knew you were prowling around the front door for 11 hours prior to said pouncing. Your craziness is contained and somewhat secret until of course the next "UPS guy get together" when they talk about that insane woman on Smith Street that attacks you for a box from someone called Scenic Route, Basic Grey or Scrap In Style. Then they make a face and ask "What's a scrap and how do you do it in style anyway?" Crazy women need to get a life. But in general, your loopiness isn't out for the neighbours to see and it's not embarassing your husband. Mine on the other hand, is all hangin' out for the world to mock. Where I live we have to go to the post office to receive packages or the secretaries at my husband's office sign for them and bring them to the detachment. So I either have to pester the Canada Post employees who say "NO! Nothing for you today!" before I even have the door all the way open. OR I have to walk into the hub's office where his partners and secretaries ask me for the millionth time "What are you waiting for this time?" I try to be nonchalant about it but really, is there any life without a camera??? I mean, if an event happens and nobody takes a picture does anyone know it truly occured? I'm rambling...

Get to the good stuff...OK, fine. A while back I promised a RAK when I got back from camping. Due to some technical difficulties that RAK had been delayed but I'm totally ready for it now and I have to get it sent away before I have to send the computer away again. So, leave a comment here with your best idea for a name for my kid's crop and you're entered to WIN! Plus, I will be adding the previous comments from the first RAK post into the draw as well. Enter once, enter twice, leave as many comments as you want. Share the LUB baby...share the LUB.

RAK Goodness and Some Little Warm Fuzzies

It's nice to hear from everyone! I'll be drawing the name for my "Welcome Back To The Blogging World" RAK on FRIDAY. It'll be in the mail by Tuesday. If you haven't heard, I am drawing for a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) to celebrate getting my computer up and running and being part of the world again! Leave me a comment and get your name in to win! I'm heading South on Saturday and oh I just can't wait to get my hands on some new stuff!!! I just got a whole whack of stuff at the Spring Fling at JSI in April but you know how it is. When you actually DO projects your stuff tends to disappear a little faster! I am loving the gallery on the Scrap In Style website...scraplift city baby! It's nice to cheat a little (Or can we call it gaining inspiration?) when you are working on a multitude of projects for other people.

So on to the warm fuzzies...what gives you that warm, wonderful fuzzy feeling inside? What melts your heart and makes you thank God for what He has given you on this earth? These are a few of mine:

"What's For Lunch???" Little men and their big appetites warm my heart. I love to cook for my family and I feel very blessed that God provides more than enough for us to share with others. (This is my son and his little buddy from across the street) As an aside, I used a couple of techniques in Picasa to warm the picture up and make it look a little worn. I really like the effects!

Give a man a fish and he eats for one day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime. Pass on those treasured passtimes and talents. God has given each of us a special gift. Use it and pass it on to someone you care about! Spend time with your babies...they won't be babies for long!

Who doesn't love a good smooch on the cheek? Share your love around, try to keep your negative thoughts in check and see how much better your day goes! Our children imitate us at every step. Let them imitate kindness, love and compassion.

No scrapbooking to show off today...we are getting ready to PARTY! Having some friends over tonight for an end of school year bash. Should be a grrrrreat time! Look for some totally FAB pages tomorrow!