Update

Hello friends and happy Friday!!

Just wanted to give the ol' blog an update and let everyone know I myself have been down for the last few days this week, doctors say I have a slight case of vertigo! Woke up at 3:30 am on Wednesday morning and the room was spinning! Ran in to a few walls, laying down made it worse, closing my eyes made it worse..it was not fun at all! I'm on some medication and feeling much better, just in time for Thanksgiving this weekend (we celebrate it in October here in Canada). I'm so excited for spending the weekend with loved ones, eating turkey and feeling grateful for all that I have in my life.

I will be back next week with more creations and even a LO! Yes, I actually sat down on Tuesday and made my first layout in about a year..I'm very proud of myself ;)

Have a great weekend everyone!! Happy Crafting!!

Autumn 2010

Last night I came home from work, loaded my camera and Jakey up in my car and took off to take some pictures of the changing leaves around me. It's been years since I went out with the main purpose of photographing things and let me tell you, it made me very happy! I drove in to the same parks I've visited for years, walked around and gathered images that spoke to me and made a plan to visit these same spots once a week for the rest of Fall to capture the season in all its glory



Taking the time to stop and photograph these images was good for my soul. Besides fighting with Jake over which direction to go in to, my mind was still and peaceful and just like any other time I'm creating, I really felt like I was in my element



So, here's the plan: every Thursday I will be back to post pictures of Autumn in my neighborhood..I'll document the changing of the seasons and reflect on how quickly things can change in a week's time..until next week, I'll be curling up with a good book, clean up the remaining foilage in the yard and indulging in one too many pumpkin spice latte's..

Recording October 2010

It's halfway through September already!! The leaves are changing and every day on my way to work I make note of the trees I want to photograph and am hoping I don't forget about it before its too late! And since time has a way of slipping away from me easily lately, I've decided to take a page out of Kelly Purkey's book and document my month of October. I'm going to find a super cute binder to hold all of my documentation in, get a large plastic baggie to hold all of my papers and found items in and this binder will hold everything that occured in my life for the month of October. Pictures, receipts, memories..all there for me to record.

I'm hoping this project will get me to slow down and realize what actually occurs on a day to day basis. I'm always jealous of all those bloggers who get amazing photos of every day life when the truth is, I could do the exact same thing, if I just took the time!

And since October is my favorite month of the year, what better month to stop and smell the changing leaves? Wish me luck, I'm going to need it! I'll share my progress with you all next month!!


Photo coutesy of Kelly Purkey

I'm dreaming of a...studio makeover

You thought I was going to say "White Christmas", didn't you? Nope, not today..although if I get some more painting done tonight in my front porch, you can bet I'll be downstairs whipping up more holiday goodness! Nope, today I'm talking about my crafts studio (or lack thereof). When I moved in to my new home this past Spring, visions of shelving and painting and countertops danced in my head. And now, 6 months later, there are still boxes everywhere and, well really, one giant mess. It's so hard to work around and I know that if I just took a few nights to organize my space I'd be lauging, but craft time is sparse for me lately and when I do have a few minutes.. cleaning and organizing are NOT on the top of my list!

But, I do know that the day will come when I can have the studio of my dreams. So, until then I will be collecting images and trying to get a feel for just exactly how I want it to be. For instance, wouldn't this be devine to have?



Yup, I definitely want one of these! I guess I need to start attending flea markets!! Ohh, or what about this storage unit?!



I just love hunting through other crafter's studios..you just never know what you're going to find!! Well, back to dreamland for me..happy crafting everyone!

Spooky

Happy September 1st Everyone!!

There is a definite chill in the air, the Michael's aisles are filled with witchy goodness and I'm in heaven! September to December is the most wonderful time of year to me and this year will be no different! Sorry its been a little quiet on the blog lately, I was away on holidays (harvesting & family reunion) but now I'm back and the holiday cards keep coming out of me!!

Today, I'm showcasing a favorite Halloween card of mine made from Graphic 45 Halloween papers, Crafty Secrets image and some googly eyes that watch over you..



So much to love about this card, its vibrant and vintagey and just a little bit spooky..



This card actually reminds me of a missed photo op that I didn't take 2 October's ago. I was on my way to work, early in the morning, driving down a beautiful street full of yellow and orange fallen leaves and there, sitting on the sidewalk was a beautiful black cat just staring at me in the midst of all this. I thought to myself, "What a perfect shot for Halloween". But I didn't have my camera and I didn't take the photo..and now it's something I'll always regret!!



Have you started any Halloween projects yet? Happy Crafting everyone!!

Paper Crafts Publication

It's here! It's here! Today has been long awaited my friends! For today is the first day the Sept/Oct issue of Paper Crafts magazine comes out and not one but 2 of my cards were selected to be featured in my very first magazine publication!!! When I got the email back in March I literally bawled, I couldn't believe it! I was running around the house, screaming and jumping!! So, let's just say its been a long 6 months for me :)



I'm featuring one of my cards today that you will find in this issue, it is made with kraft, summer sunrise and dark chocolate cs from PTI, dark chocolate ribbon and images from PTI's Spooky Sweets II stamp set



I came up with the design of this card a year and a half ago and was really proud of it! When submission time came I thought I'd just try it out and sure enough, here we are :)



So this is some of the big news I couldn't wait to share with you all..thank you so much to everyone for all their support and a special thank you to all my friends and family reading this who have had to put up with my constant excitement the last 6 months over this special little issue! Take care everyone and happy crafting!

A Shabby Happy Birthday

Happy Saturday everyone!!

I have a busy weekend ahead of me, today is my little niece's 2nd Birthday party..I for the life of me cannot comprehend how she could possibly be this big already, but nevertheless, it's here already! So I made her a super cute Mickey Mouse card that I will share with you next week along with photo's of my big girl. But after the party I'm also off to the farm to visit my DBF and I couldn't be more excited! Its been 2 weeks since I've seen him and all his family will be there this weekend too, I just love them all to pieces :) And, as it is his mom's birthday next Wednesday I decided to make her a card! I am in love with all things shabby and beautiful and I have to say I'm very excited about this card..everything just seems to work!!



I used Kraft cardstock for my base, Prima DP, a vintage image from my stash, some glitter chipboard from K&Company and of course a beautiful rose from Prima as well..



Joanne really loves flowers so I hope I hit the nail on the head with this card! I hope she loves it :) Its shabby,vintage & romantic. Okay, I'm off to get ready for the weekend! Have a great weekend everyoe and happy crafting!!

Celebrate Today

Brace yourselves...I'm actually about to post a card!! I know, I know..it's pretty amazing :) Actually the truth is this move has gotten my daily routine out of whack and I am only now figuring out how to go about a "normal" day, and this includes figuring out my computer and downloading photo's etc..but I think I've got it all figured out, so...on to the card!

As mentioned last week, I was able to dig around the boxes and create a homespun greeting card for my mom's birthday over the weekend. Lately I'm all about vintage, shabby-chic and homespun designs..and nothing says homespun to me more than gingham!!!

The cardbase is made out of PTI's Simply Chartreuse CS and DP is from October Afternoon ( I love this stuff!!)

There were a few different stamps sets used to complete the card, the french writing stamped on the background paper (see top photo) is from 7 Gypsies (Avignon), the jar and label are from PTI's Friendship Jar (die cuts too!!) and the ledger in the middle on kraft is PTI's Library Ledger.

To finish off the card I tied PTI's cream twine around the card and topped it with a beauty of a flower from Prima..so, what do you think? Have a great weekend everyone and happy crafting!