Category Archives: Family

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming…

14 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Baking, Family, ScrapBook

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…for Valentine’s Day!

I was going to do another technique today, but just couldn’t pass up the Valentine’s thing. If you’re craving technique, check my previous posts here, here, and here – that should keep you going until tomorrow! 🙂

So, I knew Valentine’s was coming. I bought little treats for the kiddies, poked them away….. and promptly forgot about the whole thing!

Don’t get me wrong, I like Valentine’s Day. I just don’t get all hyped up about it. The point is, late last night I was up making M and G’s Valentine’s. And D’s is the technique for this week!

Valentine's

Also, since I forgot all about today, I didn’t get my kiddies on the ball making Valentine’s for their little friends or make the cupcakes for the party we always have. That meant Valentine’s making instead of cereal for breakfast and cupcake making with a crew of  (not very helpful) helpers this morning!

Valentine Cupcakes

Long story short, we got it all done, including making these cards, ate copious amounts of sugar, and, due to changing the topic at the last minute, this post is very, very late – sorry!

Hope you all have a very Happy Valentine’s Day with whomever or whatever you love – friends, family, pets, books…

Sara

P.S. The Valentine’s were made with this Hero Arts Stamp, Basic Grey Sugar Rush papers, Stampin’ Up! gems, and Sakura Gelly Rollers (I use medium for colouring) and Stardust Pens.

The cupcakes are this recipe (but made with rice flour and xanthan gum) and the frosting is this recipe (again with the rice flour!). These really are the best – even gluten free – with wheat, they’re to die for!

Things on Thursday

09 Thursday Feb 2012

Posted by in Classes, Family, ScrapBook, Techniques, Things on Thursday...

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1. Said good-bye to a friend yesterday. St. Thomas Church (it’s a big one) was standing room only. I think that says it all. You’re already missed, Dan.

2. So I pinned these the other day on Pinterest, wishing I could have them in my life again and, lo and behold, as I was at the dollar store the other night, guess what I found? Score! I them have in my hands again, though not the sparkly barreled ones I remember having as a kid. Oh well, I guess these will do! 🙂

80's Pencils

3. We have royalty in the house today!

Princess Rapunzel

P, M’s bestie, brought all her princess gear to share today. M insisted that red sparkly shoes were needed to complete the look (along with her PJ bottoms!) The patch, as you can see, is still on and (knock wood) going better than expected.

4. This cat is my favourite today…

my favourite - today, anyway!

The other one (who is not as innocent as she looks) has escaped into the snow 3 times and forced me to go get her, in the cold and the snow, 3 times. Not her biggest fan right now.

5. My baby, who is also not as innocent as he looks (even my dad said he was evil!), loves his cars right now. And not napping. Sigh.

G and the little cars

Look at the tongue poking out – love that! ❤

6. Going to the Paperie to kit up the Groovy Glassine class tonight. I think there might be a spot or two still available, if you’re interested. This class is jam packed with technique, focusing on Kraft Glassine but also using acetate, Sticky Back Canvas, Cork paper, dry embossing, Perfect Pearls, Distress Stains, alcohol inks, AccuCut Dies, and more! And at the end, you’ll have a seasonal mini album to fill. If you’re going to be around St. John’s, NL on February 12, it’s worth going to – I promise!

winter - Groovy Glassine Album

7. EDIT: One more thing – I finally redid the header; no more generic hallway thing!

Have a great afternoon!

S.

Some Basic Grey Love

08 Wednesday Feb 2012

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One of my all time favourite Basic Grey collections is Lime Rickey – the colours, the stamps, the little birds – so much fun.

The Paperie asked me to do a LO for them when Lime Rickey was first released way back when and then, as I was into two page LO’s exclusively at that point, I did the second page for myself. Because both pages have been in different places, I’ve never posted them anywhere. But last week, Meghan gave me back the original page and finally, they are united!

So I thought I’d share them with the world…

aka

I still love this LO, maybe because of the paper, maybe because of the pictures. They were taken when M wasn’t yet 2 and G was only 2 weeks old – love them! Lots of fun products here too, the Basic Grey, of course, Bo Bunny Double Dot, Hero Arts felt buttons, and stamps, grungeboard, Bazzill Basics Edges, and old Kelly Panacci border stamps (which are so old that I can’t find them anywhere!).

Here’s another LO I did using Basic Grey, and my all time favourite collection, Basics. I also used Doodlebug Jack & Jill alphas in Swimming Pool (no one does alphas like Doodlebug!), October Afternoon Thrift Shop and Fly a Kite, a Martha Stewart Doily, and a bunch of border punches.

buddies - Vicki, Marg, and me!

This is one of my favourite LO’s – love the colours, love the pic. This was taken at my friend’s son’s wedding where D was the photographer. I think the three of us clean up pretty well! 😉

Hope this inspires some of you to get crafty today! I have some major cleaning to do first… 😦

Sara

M and her funny sayings…

06 Monday Feb 2012

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Mom popped by today and spent some time with M during naptime. She told Nana, “This eye is working really, really hard and this eye is on vacation in Noba Cotia (Nova Scotia) – that’s why I need a patch.”

M and her "happy face"

Always entertaining to see what their minds come up with!

Just randomness…

03 Friday Feb 2012

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I’ve got some random, in no way connected, things to post about today – enjoy the ride!

1. I ordered a fun new play toy at the Paperie and it just came in – the Tim Holtz Cargo Case! I can’t wait to fill it up and try to begin getting organized.

2. To keep on the same theme for a moment, I have to start gutting out my scrap space this weekend – D is really getting annoyed with all my stuff piling up in the kitchen! I’ve told people that my space is a disaster and they say theirs is worse. Here’s proof. I win. 🙂

Scrap Space - before

3. My cats are crazy. With a bunch of little kids running around, you’d think they would have a sense of self-preservation and keep out of the way. But no, they want to be in the thick of things. Yesterday, Ella decided that M’s favourite blanket (G has one too that he loves, thanks Vicki!) would be her napping spot. The thing is, it was on the island in the middle of the kitchen. Somehow, that doesn’t strike me as the most peaceful spot she could have picked!

naptime...in the kitchen!

4. Because I feel bad that you’re only ever seeing pics of Ella, here’s one of Rosie, my Calico baby.

What? Go away.

Ok, so I just had to go take a picture. Rosie doesn’t like the camera much and the only recent one I had was of G using her like a pillow and squashing her – not the best one to show her off!

5. I hate to admit this but…. Sometime in December I said to D that I needed a new point and shoot camera because mine was too slow (toddlers are fast, you know!) and I wanted to do that fuzzy background thing.  Instead, he gave me his old Nikon D70s with 2 lenses he doesn’t use anymore and said, “Have at it.” Now, he’s a photographer and knows what he’s doing. I do not know what I’m doing and have no (really, truly *no*) interest in learning so when he handed me this camera, I was not impressed. But now I love it. Still have no clue what I’m doing, still have no interest in learning more about it, and I totally make the backgrounds too fuzzy, but it’s fun!

6. I’m sick of snow and it’s only the beginning of February. We’ve had two storms (as in close everything down and can’t see across the road storms) this week and they’re calling for another one tonight/tomorrow. I’m done, people, I’m done. Where’s my nice, rich benefactor to take me away to some place warm? I’m waiting…..

7. To end on a crafty note, here’s a LO I did of M & G in Bowring Park last year. They’re not always this nice to each other so we have to get it on film when they are!

M & G - Bowring Park

Notice the cute cloud buttons? They’re from a great online shop based out of Halifax, NS called My Little Bit of Whimsy, love their buttons and pins.

Hope you all have a great weekend. Around here we have plans for Frosty’s 30th Birthday Party on Saturday as part of the Frosty Festival Celebrations, and then breakfast at a restaurant Sunday morning – the kids favourite thing in the world to do!

S.

Today….

01 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Classes, Family, ScrapBook, Yearlong Album

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…I am cold. We all bundled up and went out to slide and play in the snow that was dropped on us yesterday. Unfortunately, the wind is bitter cold and now I can’t warm up again. Brrrrrr.

…I can’t type very well and am making lots of spelling errors. That just may have something to do with the two-year-old who is determined to sit on my lap today.

G & Mama

Don’t you just love his new “smile for the camera” face? Cracks me up every time! Does not amuse his photographer father as much, especially since I think it’s so funny that I keep asking for it! Ha! 🙂

…we’re having mac & cheese for lunch, with peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Comfort food for a cold day and something that is always devoured by the kiddies. That being said, they do just as well with broccoli and spinach too. But I digress…

…M is having a bad day. Enough said. Sigh.

…it’s very loud. Well, that’s par for the course so I don’t know why I’m even mentioning it. Moving along….

…I started this class. It’s good so far and I’m looking forward to more inspiration!

…I’m plugging away at the 2012 Album and getting frustrated. Luckily, I can turn to my graphic designer husband to do cover pages for me!

Cover Page Sneak Peek

…the playroom has had cow and dog races (the cow always wins and apologizes to the dog), monsters eating trophies, storms destroying the train tracks (“Really, Mama, it wasn’t me, it was the storm!), and pirates making little boys walk the plank. Never a dull moment.

Wishing you all a day that is warmer but just as entertaining as mine!

S.

M and her funny sayings…

29 Sunday Jan 2012

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So I was teaching today (more on that tomorrow) and when I got home I was talking to M.

Me: How was your day?
M: Good, I guess.
Me: What did you have for lunch?
M: Well, Daddy gave us beans, but I didn’t eat them all.
Me: Why not?  You like beans.
M: Well,  I just wasn’t interested.

Ah, four year olds!

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M in her new specs

S.

Things on Thursday

26 Thursday Jan 2012

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It’s been a big week around here:

1. I started this blog! (Big cheers! Confetti! Yay!)

2. The cookies we made yesterday were yummy, yummy,yummy – even gluten free!

3. I got fun eye candy mail, 3 magazines from Northridge Publishing – Create, Simply Handmade, and Cards. Love how beautiful these books are.

4. I’ve been creating! I was in a rut for, oh, a million years or so it seems, so it feels really great to be doing stuff just for me again.

5. I finished the Year Long Album 2011, typed up all the instructions, and have almost finished getting all the pictures in there. Nice to have this one clued up, since the 2012 class is just around the corner!

6. I finished the Kraft Glassine Album for the class I’m teaching in February. Once again, instructions are typed up and I have all the pics in. Nice to be ahead of the game for once!

7. I signed up for this online class and am pumped to start! I love Amy Tan’s style and the list of special guests is awesome too. Also, I have three Paperie kits and one Studio Calico kit mostly unused and waiting to be played with – I need the push!

8. The big one this week is especially big for M. She had her follow-up appointment with the optometrist and the news was not what we were hoping for. As a result, we’ve started patching her right eye to get her left eye working better. Sigh. Tell me if any four-year-old would make this easy, because my daughter is not! She loves pirates though, so we’re really pushing that angle (please forgive the bad pic – I think it was taken on D’s cell phone!).

M, acting the pirate and not wanting a picture taken!

And that’s my week so far, lots of fun and not so fun things happening. To let you go on a good note, here’s a LO I did using a little of the November Paperie kit – lots of Amy Tangerine (can you tell I love that Amy Tangerine stamp?), some October Afternoon, a bit of  K&Co. Smash, and a touch of Studio Calico! As always, click on the image to see a larger size.

All You Need is Love & Dirt

Here’s hoping your week is already, or is becoming, just as interesting as mine!

S.

Randomness…

25 Wednesday Jan 2012

Posted by in Family, ScrapBook, Yearlong Album

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As I write this, it is raining (again) and the snow is being washed away (again). This winter has been bitter cold, or snow storming, or raining. In other words, impossible to get outside and play! So, we’re all feeling a little housebound. To try to combat that this morning, the kiddies and I made these. They’re just about ready to come out of the oven and boy, do they ever smell good! My mouth is watering to think of a cold glass of milk and all that chocolatey goodness! I think this may have to be an after nap snack as I’m pretty sure all that sugar is not good for sleepy time!

On a completely different note, Ella’s newest favourite napping spot is my misting box. Since I do the majority of my crafting on the kitchen table (sorry, D!), I try to contain the mess by misting in a box. Normally, I would just spray away – colour makes everything better! – but others in this household simply don’t agree with me, for some odd reason.

Anyway, this hasn’t been an issue until lately – I’ve been using a lot of red and let’s just say that it’s not totally permanent, hence the fancy pink paws that Ella now sports! It doesn’t seem to bother her but it does bother Rosie who is reluctantly cleaning Ella for the first time ever. I did double-check though and the mist, thankfully, is non-toxic.

Ella in the pre-red box

Finally, I’m hoping to get some more work done on the 2012 Yearlong Album tonight. As a treat, here’s a look at the album cover, with a curious visitor included! 😉

2012 Album Cover (& Ella!)

I’m loving Simple Stories (oh, the new CHA-W goodies!) and American Crafts Modern Albums!

Hope you are all having a good, if rainy, day!

S.