Life on the Lane

LOAD Blog Hop - Layout A Day 212

2012-01-27T09:05:00.001-07:00

If you have been following my blog you may have noticed that I am an “all or nothing” kind of girl… like in November when I posted every day (all) or December when I posted once (nothing). I think that is one of the reasons why I love LOAD so much. For most of the year I am a sporadic scrapbooker (and by sporadic I mean I might do one or two pages a year).

Except for a LOAD month…. (well, the ones I have actually participated fully in)…

Each day I look forward to that message from Lain in my inbox giving me a gently prod and a dose of inspiration to churn out a layout every... single... day... for a month. Yep, the whole month, every day, and I look forward to it!

If you are already committed to LOAD this February, you can read my post here for some tips to get you started. If you are just thinking about participating..read on…

I want to share with you a few of my personal favourite layouts from past LOADs and some of the things I have learned along the way.

I have learned to tell the little stories, the ones that live inside the big life changing events… the one’s that I am likely to forget but want to remember.

I’ve learned to document the everyday…

I’ve learned to not stress about making every layout perfect… sometimes a picture and some words are all you need.

I’ve learned it doesn’t matter what order you scrapbook in or if you have perfect photos. I am preserving MY memories here people so I get to make the rules.

Last but not least I have learned to have fun with it! Even if it’s a layout where you realize just before you post it that most of your facebook statuses talk about booze or coffee. It’s a month long journey where you will learn to stretch the boundaries of your craft, make new friends and actually finish some scrapbooking pages!

Now head on over to Heather's blog and read her take on the load experience.

There is still time to sign up if you haven’t yet! Just click here to learn more!

If you want to visit the rest of the stops on the Blog Hop, here is the full list:

Margie xnomads.typepad.com
Kelli scrapbookgirl71.blogspot.com
Jennifer atthebluebarn.blogspot.com
Lisa lisahausmann.blogspot.com
Monica scrapinspired.com
Kimberly kimberlykalil.com
Eileen thinkinkpaperscissors.weebly.com
Danielle acoffeeaddict.com
Pam dailypamage.blogspot.com
Katrina k84mansramblings.blogspot.com
Cate lifebehindthepurpledoor.com
Me lifeonlilypadlane.blogspot.com
Heather heathersdragonsden.blogspot.com
Gina randomthoughtsmindlessmusings.blogspot.com
Kristie kristiesloan.com
Janet khashabfamilymusings.blogspot.com
Lydia lydiaink.wordpress.com

Meal Plan Monday

2011-12-05T21:23:00.001-07:00

I don’t know if I’ve said it here before but I really don’t like to cook. If I could afford it I would pay someone else to do all the cooking for me. I am lucky that I married someone who doesn’t mind pitching in but if it was up to him we would live off steak… and maybe the occasional potato… or chicken cooked with a beer can…

Bottom line is that I need to plan ahead because if I don’t it’s just too easy to grab something unhealthy. My secret weapon? Plan To Eat! I started with a free 30 day trial but it’s worth every penny to pay $39 for a year long membership. It stores my recipes, lets me schedule my meals and automatically creates a shopping list. I love it! I used to print off the recipes and keep them in a binder but now I just use my iPad:

Have I mentioned that I love my iPad? I know, I know you should love people not things but I LOVE my iPad! (Don't judge me)

Mondays are my days off and my favourite way to start the week is to plan my menu for the week, pick up a green tea latte and go grocery shopping! Seriously, it makes me happy to have the whole week planned out. If I have time (which I did today) I prepare as much of the weeks food as I can in the afternoon.

On the menu this week:

Monday: Baked Potato Soup
Tuesday: Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili
Wednesday:Baked Chicken Parmesan
Thursday: Shepherds Pie
Friday: Baked Macaroni & Cheese

All the recipes this week came from Skinnytaste.com I haven’t tried a recipe from Gina’s website yet that wasn’t delicious!

Since cooking is not one of my top ten activities I put my “crooner” playlist on shuffle and poured myself a glass of wine (because really, everything is better with some Sinatra & Shiraz) and whipped up this:

Tonight’s soup with enough leftover for lunches this week, Thursday’s shepherd’s pie, and two baked mac & cheese (one for this week and one for the freezer). I also did all the chopping and grating for Tuesday & Wednesday! I love it when a plan comes together!

No last minute take out crap for us this week!

I’m linking up to:

30 Days of Pinterest Challenge Day 29 & 30: The End

2011-12-01T00:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it! My house is a disaster area and my husband is losing patience but I did finish 30 projects in 30 days! The last two seem to indicate that I need a drink:

Day 29: Tile Coasters

I found lots of tutorials on how to make photo coasters on Pinterest, like this one from Tipjunkie. After my epic craft fail of Day 26 I was not in a hurry to try modge podge on a photo again so I decided to make mine with some quote about wine and drinking.

I think these would be a lot of fun at a party and your guest could take their coaster home!

Day 30: A gift for the man who has everything!

Tomorrow is December 1st and I am delivering advent calendars to my niece and nephew… This year I decided to give one to my brother as well.

I turned 24 of his favourite beer….

Into a whole herd of reindeer!

One a day until the big event!

And that’s it… my 30 Days of Pinterest Challenge is complete!

The next time I get a crazy idea like this in my head, somebody slap me… and by slap me I mean pour me a glass of wine and make me re-read all these blog posts.

Thanks to everyone who followed along and gave me so much encouragement! You guys rock!

30 Days of Pinterest Challenge Day 28: DIY Dry Erase Board

2011-11-28T21:27:00.001-07:00

Physio kicked my butt today so I’m glad I had an easy project planned.
A DIY dry erase board based on an idea from the blog Little Birdie Secrets.

It only took a few minutes and some scrapbooking supplies. I used the cardboard included in the frame as a base and just stuck everything on that.

Once it was in the frame and behind glass I hung it on the end of my kitchen cabinet with some 3D Command Strips.

The glass acts like a dry erase board, another brilliant idea!

If I get tired of the background, I can easily change it. Once I finished this marathon 30 days of crafting and spend an afternoon cleaning my craft room, I just might find enough Christmas themed scrapbooking supplies to do a holiday version... maybe...

Two days to go... now back to my heating pad!

30 Days of Pinterest Challenge Day 27: A Purse Organizer

2011-11-27T20:26:00.001-07:00

I have been wanting to make one of these for some time.

You can buy them but I had lots of tutorials pinned on how to make one. Then I found this idea from the blog Footprints for one made out of a place mat. I’m not even kidding, a place mat!! It was one of those “duh, why didn’t I think of that” moments. I don’t know who originally came up with the idea but whoever you are, you are brilliant!

I took a place mat, a button, and a hair elastic:

And 10 minutes later I had this:

Now I can easily switch from one purse to another and find everything at the bottom of my bag!

If you want a full tutorial you can get it here, the only change I made was to use a hair elastic instead of sewing elastic because it’s stronger.

Only 3 days to go!

30 Days of Pinterest Challenge Day 25 & 26: A Santa Pole and an Epic Craft Fail

2011-11-26T23:11:00.001-07:00

This is one of my favourite projects yet! This is going to look awesome on the front porch!

Here is Day 25: A Santa Pole!

I got the idea from a blog called (fittingly) The Idea Closet. Her version was under two feet tall and designed for a table top. Mine is four feet tall and made to withstand an Alberta winter.

#1 lesson learned from this little project? The selection of fence posts in Edmonton in November is very slim…. I picked through the few in stock in my local Rona found the best one I could.

Supplies needed
1 – four foot fence post
1 – four foot length of 1x4 pine
1 – wooden final
1 – 8 inch length of 2 x 8
Wood screws
Wood glue

I don’t really have any in progress photos of this because I had to get Safety Bear to cut the boards… not because I don’t know how but because I have an injured shoulder and although I tried, I just don’t have the strength.

Every time he saw me with the camera he did this:

Thanks hun, nice shot of your back! (BTW, see that unfinished wall in the background? Guess what we are doing in December?)

Basically we he attached the finial to the top of the pole and the 2x8 to the bottom. After I snapped this photo I painted it white.

Please try to ignore the mess in the background… I have crafting to do people, there is no time to clean!
Three 16” signs were cut from the 1x4 pine.

After a few coats of red, I used my trusty Cricut to make a stencil and painted on my letters. (Craft vinyl can get pricey, try asking your local sign shop for scraps, they are perfect for projects like this).

Did I mention that I love this project? Want to know the smartest thing I did on this one? Attached the signs with heavy-duty Velcro!! Yep, I can see this with different signs for Easter or Valentine’s Day! But here’s the finished Christmas Pole:

Sorry for the late night photo again.

Now for Day 26: DIY Photo Canvas or as I like to call it… Epic Craft Fail

I can’t find where I pinned this idea, but I thought well it’s easy enough…

Step One: Print your photo onto tissue paper… ever tired that? I don’t even want to talk about how many tries that took me. I finally got it to feed through my printer by tacking it onto a sheet of copy paper with some squares of double sided tape.

Step Two: Modge Podge your tissue paper onto a primed canvas… sounds simple enough… notice how it looks pink? That because it is pink!!! And it didn’t get any better when it dried.

I guess in 26 days I can handle one craft fail…

I won’t say I did it gracefully or quietly but I’m admitting defeat today. I’m losing steam… four days to go until November (and my 30 day challenge) are nothing but a memory!

30 Days of Pinterest Challenge Day 23 & 24: More Quick & Easy Christmas Decor

2011-11-24T17:55:00.001-07:00

The closer it gets to December the harder it is to find free time. I did complete a challenge yesterday, I just didn’t have time to take pictures and write a blog post about it… a girl needs to sleep sometimes!

So, better late than never, here is Day 23:

When we renovated our front porch, we finished the exterior wall around our front door in this “stacked stone” and it was just screaming out to me for some kind of wall decor!

Can you guess what time was made from???

I’m not even kidding… popsicle sticks!! Can you believe it? Glue em all together and you get this…

You can get the full tutorial from The Crafty Nest, just be forewarned that she says you need to make sure your angles are 30 degrees and they are actually 60 degrees. You do need to be pretty accurate with your angles to get everything to fit together but other than that this was a quick craft. Several coats of exterior gloss paint later and it looks awesome on my stone wall!

And now for Day 24: Scrabble Ornaments

I am still getting lots of use out of my thrift store scrabble game…

This was an idea that was pinned from Etsy… so you can order them ready made if you are so inclined. If you want to make your own, here’s what I did.

I cut a thin piece of cardboard to fit my letters and glued them on…nothing fancy, I just used a box from the recycling bin.

Cut a piece of ribbon long enough so that you can fold it in half and have room for a loop at the top for hanging and about three inches at the bottom. Loop a bead through the top and then glue the ribbon to the back of your ornament.

Glue a piece of felt on the back. I actually glued the felt on first and then trimmed it to fit after, much easier than trying to get it lined up perfectly after you have cut it.

These would be great as gift tags that could later be hung on the tree!

Six days to go to complete 30 projects in 30 days… next November the only thing I am going to commit to everyday is a nap!

30 Days of Pinterest Challenge Day 22: Custom Christmas Candles

2011-11-22T21:43:00.001-07:00

One of the things I was really excited about when we got transferred to Edmonton was the fact that there is an Ikea! For some reason a lot of corporations seem to think that Canada ceases to exist east of Quebec so shopping at Ikea was never an option for me before.

Every trip to Ikea I stock up on two things…

Candles…

And napkins… I loved these silver snowflake ones!

I have to admit this is a project that I have done before, but when I saw this pinned from the blog The Ivy Cottage I was reminded of what a quick and easy project it is. I had previously done this with tissue paper, but once I ironed all the folds (it’s not weird to iron paper napkins, is it?) and separated the layers I figured napkins would do the trick.

All that is required is to cut the napkin to fit (in this case 5x8.25), wrap the candle and then heat with a heat gun until the wax begins to melt into the napkin.

Just be careful not to hold it in one place for too long or the wax will drip. You’ll be able to see the wax seep though… The possibilities are endless! There are so many pretty napkins out there for all occasions.

Once I get the rest of the Christmas stuff out of storage I’ll be able to spruce this up a little more but for now… this is it! I think this was the fastest project this month!

30 Days of Pinterest Challenge Day 21: Joy Art

2011-11-21T23:13:00.001-07:00

These last ten days I am working on getting ready for Christmas.

I am not a follower of the “putting your tree up in November” camp so I am starting with my living room mantel or as I call it, my fantel (my faux mantel… someday I will have the real thing).

I was inspired by an idea pinned from the rock star blogger Thrifty Decor Chick. I have been saving a roll of textured wall paper for a while waiting for just the right project.

I wrapped three 16x20 canvases with the textured paper and gave them several coats of a yummy Rich Garnet paint.

I scored three MDF letters on clearance at Michaels that were primed black so I decided to leave them black (less work for me, I am trying to get one of these done every day).

I’m afraid my final photo is another late night, terrible light shot…

Just need to add some greenery and the mantel will be done! Believe me when I say it looks much better in real life! Damn Alberta winters with darkness at 5pm!

30 Days of Pinterest Challenge Day 20: Wall Art

2011-11-20T21:13:00.001-07:00

In all the houses we have lived in we always seem to leave decorating the master bedroom for last. This house is no exception and is still a work in progress. We did build a fabulous new bed a few months ago that I still LOVE, if you missed it you can see it here.

I have been staring at a big blank wall for five years waiting for inspiration to strike. Eventually when we put a gas fireplace in the living room we will be moving the electric fireplace onto the wall at the foot of our bed but for now all it houses is the dog bed. Then along came Pinterest and an easy DIY wall art idea that I pinned from the website Curbly.

Theirs was mounted on Styrofoam squares but I scored a value pack of 12x12 canvases at Michaels that I used a 40% coupon on and then another 25% off my entire purchase!! Love a good deal!!

I painted the edges a dark brown colour and then decoupaged 6 coordinating sheets on scrapbooking paper on top.

There were a few brief minutes when I was freaking out because my paper was full of huge bubbles and wrinkles but once it dried they disappeared. Who knew? Decoupage 101 was obviously not one of my prior life experiences.

To make hanging them easier, I laid them out on a sheet of paper and then traced them out and marked where the nails should go….

Nail right into the paper, tear the paper down and then hang the canvases!

This photo tells me:

a) that although love the way the canvases fill the empty wall, they need something under them to help ground them… I will be coming back to them later.
c) that I really need to do these pictures when I have natural light!!
d) that I still hate the wall colour in our bedroom!! I have painted the walls three times and still can’t seem to find a colour I like… I love the chocolate brown wall that is opposite this wall but I just can’t seem to settle on something for the other three.

Only 10 days to go until December and the end of my month of Pinterest projects… time to start working on the Christmas decor ideas I’ve been compiling!

30 Days of Pinterest Day 19: Chocolate Covered is Always Better

2011-11-19T22:59:00.001-07:00

I wonder if I could manage to be as committed to working out everyday as I am to this Pinterest Challenge?

Today was a crazy long day but at 10pm I was in the kitchen making chocolate covered pretzels.
Glutino Pretzels are one of the few gluten free snacks that actually taste good.

I figured when I saw the idea pinned from the website Baked Perfection that they could only be better covered in white chocolate.

Unfortunately mine do not look anything like the picture that I found on-line…

After actually reading the instructions I discovered that she fished each pretzel out of the chocolate one at a time, um..did I mention it was after 10pm? My version were dumped in the bowl of melted chocolate, stirred around and then plopped on wax paper to cool.

Not as pretty but waaay easier and let’s be honest here… these are not going to make it out of my house.

Goodnight all, tomorrow I am back in the craft room!

30 Days of Pinterest Challenge Day 18: A Tweet Idea

2011-11-18T22:01:00.001-07:00

Spoiler Alert!!!

If you are a member of my family you might be getting this as part of your Christmas gift…

Look away now if you don’t want to spoil the surprise!!!

I have been in love with this since I first saw it on Pinterest. The original tutorial can be found on Obsessively Stitching.

Here’s my take…

It’s an Angry Bird!! Bah ha ha!! It cracks me up!!

There are tutorials for all the birds and pigs at Obsessively Stitching. Aren’t they awesome??

Perfect projectiles…

I may have tested them by throwing them at someone…

In the name of quality control.

30 Days of Pinterest Challenge Day 17: “Frosted" Glass

2011-11-17T16:59:00.001-07:00

Sometimes we have to learn to adapt… I was planning on making a trio of painted vases like the ones I had pinned from 52 Projects (notice she did a project a week, not an insane one a day).

It was supposed to be easy, take three glass vases like this:

Wrap elastic bands around them and spray paint them white.

Problem #1: The only elastics I could find in my house looked like this:

Notice that in my true OCD form I make all my elastics into a neat little bag in the drawer of my desk, thereby making them both easy to find and stretched and wrinkled beyond the point where they can be used for this project.

My solution: Cut painters tape into strips and wrap the vases in them instead. If you ever find you need to make skinny strips of painters tape, I just stuck them onto my cutting mat and used a ruler and a knife to slice them into strips.

I know that the example I used had really funky crisscrossed lines and I tried, really I did. Did I mention the OCD tendencies? Mine turned out like this:

Here is where problem #2 presented itself… this required spray painting and normally I do my spray painting outside (my dream home has an attached garage with a corner dedicated to spray painting). This was the scene outside today:

Um, I’m not going out there! Those are drifts, people... DRIFTS!

No problem though, we still have one unfinished room in our basement that is presently quite empty so I set up a little area and proceeded to spray paint, just gotta open the window when I’m done for a bit and let the room air out, right?

Wrong! The window was frozen shut and despite my best attempts would not budge.

This all took place in the morning and I was hopeful that the fumes would dissipate before R got home saving me the lecture about spraying in a well ventilated area… blah, blah, blah.

I thought I was safe, I certainly couldn’t smell them anymore but it only took about three minutes for him to bring to my attention that the fumes were still there, apparently I was just used to them. This does not upset me as much as it does him… I am married to the Safety Bear.

Fumes aside, what I ended up with was this:

I used frosted glass paint instead of white and my plan is to make a holiday centerpiece with some frosted twigs and small glass ornaments (and maybe a mirrored tray if I can find/make one). I have probably killed a few brain cells (according to the Safety Bear) but it was worth it.

30 Days of Pinterest Challenge Day 16: Pot Holders, Take Two!

2011-11-16T22:27:00.001-07:00

I don’t know what it is about quilting that intimidates me… not the quilt blocks really, it’s the putting it all together part that gets me. I thought for sure that I would be able to pull off a couple of simple potholders without a problem.

The tutorial from the blog Prudent Baby seemed easy enough. I started them as my project on day 14 and I breezed through the whole thing until I got to the binding… There are no pictures of them in progress because I got mad and threw the whole thing in the trash and deleted all my pictures.

After two days to regain my composure I fished them out of the trash (it was just fabric scraps, really) and decided to give them another try.

Other than the fact that I forgot the loop to hand them with I think they turned out alright.

I love the pocket design… enough that I’m even considering attempting to make more than two… but not today!

30 Days of Pinterest Challenge Day 15: Star Garland

2011-11-15T22:04:00.001-07:00

I cut out way more stars than I needed for my wreath on day 13 so today I used them to make a star garland based on a photo I pinned from notonthehighstreet.com.

The idea was simple enough, just stitch the layered stars together…..

My paper was too heavy for three layers like the example so I only did two and when I hung it for the first time the stars twisted so all you could see was the white back.

Note to self: next time use double-sided patterned paper.

My solution was to hot glue some ribbon to the backs to stabilize them.

I finished the ends off with black satin ribbon:

A quick and easy garland that’s a great way to use up paper scraps!

I am not normally a very disciplined person so sticking with this Challenge for 15 is a real accomplishment for me! Back to Pinterest to find my project for tomorrow!

30 Days of Pinterst Challenge Day 14: Pencil Roll

2011-11-14T23:11:00.001-07:00

This was one of those days when nothing seemed to be going the way I wanted! I started out making potholders… clearly not what I ended up with.

After the potholder fiasco I went back to the Pinterest boards and decided to make this pencil roll based on the blog Little Munchkins, you can find the full tutorial on her blog.

I think it turned out really cute!

Tomorrow is the halfway point of my 30 days! I am making a dent in my fabric scraps and getting lots of things done from my “I’ll make this someday list”.

30 Days of Pinterest Day 13: 3D Star Wreath

2011-11-13T21:15:00.001-07:00

I have sooo many ideas pinned using these 3D stars but decided to make a wreath based on one from the blog Gluesticks. Now that I have made my first few, I plan on using them for several Christmas projects.

I used my Cricut to cut out several 4 inch and 3 inch stars and then scored them 5 times from the tip of each point to the V directly across from it. Then you crease the lines and fold the star into the 3D shape.

To make the base of my wreath I cut a circle out of cardboard and then covered it with stars that had not been creased.

I then used my hot glue gun to layer on the 3D stars.

I

I really wish I could get my act together to get these things done earlier in the day so I can get some better quality photos. This looks so much prettier in real life than it does here and it looks very cute in my craft room. I love the non-traditional pink and black Christmas paper.

Want to hang something on your cabinet doors without leaving a mark? Use an upside down command hook on the inside of your door! Another neat idea from Pinterest!

Almost two weeks into my Pinterest Challenge and although I am getting lots of projects completed I think my poor husband is beginning to think I have forgotten how to cook! Good thing he is willing to pitch in and be the chief cook and bottle washer while I am pursuing my crazy month long challenge.

30 Days of Pinterest Challenge Day 12: A “Hoot Owl” Bag

2011-11-13T12:54:00.001-07:00

I did get my daily project done on Day 12 (really I did), I’m just late posting due to spending a lovely evening with friends.

I am a sucker for cute fabric like this adorable owl print that I got on clearance:

I didn’t really have a reason for buying it other than it was cute and cheap and I knew I could use it someday.

I had pinned a reversible purse project a la Martha Stewart some time ago and since I had lots of this fabric kicking around decided to make a “Hoot Owl” bag. (Hoot Owls are what my 3 year old niece calls them and she will be the recipient of this project.)

What took the longest was trying to figure out how to enlarge the pattern on my home printer/scanner/copier. This photo is for those of you who think I am both crafty and organized….

Note that the only tape I could find in my whole house is green painters tape.

You can get a full tutorial from “Martha” on her website.

Here’s the finished project:

You just slip the long handle through the short one to carry it, how stinkin’ cute is that? I think it will be perfect for Kira to carry her treasures in!

This turned out a little smaller than I thought it would probably due to my lack of skill at enlarging the pattern. It was easy to make though so I’m thinking I will try it again.

I’m off to the craft to clean it for a bit so I can thoroughly mess it up again!

30 Days of Pinterest Challenge Day 11: Scrabble Art

2011-11-11T20:16:00.001-07:00

In addition to the Scrabble pillows I made earlier in the week, I had pinned the idea for Scrabble tile art. The website that featured this was charging the equivalent to $97 plus shipping!!!

My version was made from an Ikea frame, a piece of scrapbooking paper and a thrift store Scrabble game for a grand total of $11.

The hardest part was deciding what words to use. I trimmed the paper to fit, arranged the letters and stuck them on with glue dots.

This was another easy one and you’re only limited to the number of Scrabble tiles you have!

Sometimes the problem is just getting motivated to start these projects. One of my problems is still getting started early enough in the day that I can take photos in the afternoon when the lighting is better!

Part of my problem is that every time I go on Pinterest to find my project for the day I end up finding dozens of new ideas!

If you want an invite so you can join in my addiction, let me know!

30 Days of Pinterest Challenge Day 10: Going Pot Luck

2011-11-10T21:47:00.001-07:00

The first time I saw this idea, pinned from Make It, Love It I thought it was brilliant and so easy to make! For a full tutorial, check out their post.

All you need is a jar of etching cream:

And a vinyl stencil (my trusty Cricut machine is getting a workout this week):

To turn a plain glass baking dish:

Into a great personalised gift!

Of course I made one for myself, no more worrying about losing my dish at a potluck! Wouldn’t this make an awesome bridal shower (or housewarming) gift filled with some potholders, kitchen towels and maybe a cookbook?

I love mine so much I almost feel like baking something in it! I should probably drink a glass of wine and wait for that feeling to pass…

See you tomorrow!

30 Days of Pinterest Challenge Day 9: Scrabble Pillows

2011-11-09T22:32:00.002-07:00

I combined two pins in this challenge, the scrabble pillows were a pin from Etsy that I fell in love with when I saw them. They were made with the letters sewn on in felt but I painted mine on using a freezer paper stencil technique that I pinned from I Am Momma Hear Me Roar.

I wanted fabric that would stand up to a lot because these pillows were going in our family room so I purchased a canvas drop cloth from the paint department of Home Depot and got enough fabric to make 6 pillows for only $16 dollars (score!!).

After I cut the fabric into 20 inch squares (my pillows were 18 inches) and sewed up three sides. I cut the stencil out of freezer paper with my Cricut machine and ironed it onto the fabric…

Painted it with black fabric paint….

Let it dry and set following the product instructions, inserted the pillow form and stitched up the last side!

Ta Da!

My original plan was to make five of these tonight to spell the word RELAX but I will have to finish the rest on the weekend. Today was my first physiotherapy session for a shoulder injury and one pillow was all my shoulder could take today.

I love the drop cloth fabric, after washing and drying it feels so much softer than I thought it would and it was waaaay cheaper than buying canvas at the fabric store. I even have lots left over for other projects!

Hmm, must go search Pinterest for things to make with canvas!

30 Days of Pinterest Challenge Day 8: In the Kitchen

2011-11-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

This kind of feels like cheating but I did say at the beginning that it could be a recipe!

Crock pot meals are my favourite, especially those that require very little effort! This one got a two thumbs up rating for ease and for taste, it was delicious (and healthy but you don’t have to tell anyone that, they’ll never be able to tell).

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

My pin was from the blog Photo A Day but the original recipe came from Skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
1 16-oz can black beans
1 16-oz can kidney beans
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
10 oz package frozen corn kernels (I used two cans of corn)
2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies (I used one 28 oz can of plain diced tomatoes)
1 packet taco seasoning (I used 4 tsp Epicure taco seasoning)
1 tbsp cumin (OK, I thought I had cumin but the jar was empty so I left this out)
1 tbsp chili powder (I also left this out but not on purpose, I forgot to add it)
(3-4) boneless skinless chicken breasts
chili peppers, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I hate, repeat hate, the taste of cilantro so I skipped this one too)

Directions:

Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Top with fresh cilantro. Sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

Even with all my changes this was really, really good (and gluten free)!!! I will be making this again for sure.

30 Days of Pinterest Challenge Days 6 & 7 or When Projects Don’t Go As Planned!

2011-11-07T23:09:00.002-07:00

Day 6 of my challenge was just that… a challenge. I bought canvases some time ago with the intent to make inspirational/motivational wall art for our new fitness room (the recently vacated room of grown child #2).

1. It looked really easy on Pinterest, pinned from a blog post from the Brassy Apple… Adhere a vinyl quote onto a painted canvas (no problem)

2. Paint over the whole canvas with your main colour (at this point I'm thinking this project is a piece of cake!)

3. Peel off the letters and do some minor touch ups and you have a finished canvas wall quote! Um, not quite.

MINOR TOUCH UPS?? This thing was a mess!! So much for getting my project done in a day! It took me three coats of paint to turn this….

Into this…

Believe me when I say this was not my finest crafting hour! It looks much better from a few feet away than it does close up. Thankfully, the fitness room is not one that I plan on inviting guests into.

Since Day 6 really took me a day and a half, I choose a much less involved project for Day 7.

I have very grand plans to eventually have a beautiful laundry room so I have lots of ideas pinned for what my perfect laundry room will look like. One of my save projects from The Painted Parsonage was for a glass jar for laundry soap. I think her labels were purchased but I used my Cricut Machine to cut my own vinyl labels to turn an Ikea jar from this:

Into this:

No more plastic bag sitting on the counter! I’m light years away from a dream laundry room but it’s a start, right?

I’m giving myself an extra pat on the back for not tossing that canvas in the garbage in disgust. I can’t promise I won’t paint over the whole thing and try it again in the future but for now, I’ve got 23 more things to do off Pinterest, I don’t have time for “do overs”.

I think tomorrow I will move out of the craft room for a little break and into the kitchen! If you don’t have a Pinterest account yet but you want one, message me and I’ll send you an invite! I do not, however, accept any responsibility for hours you may lose once addicted.

30 Days of Pinterest Challenge Day 5: iPhone Wallet

2011-11-05T17:56:00.000-06:00

Ever had something pictured in your mind that you shopped around for ever but couldn’t find? Ever since I got my iPhone I have wanted an iPhone case/wallet… I assumed I would be able to buy one but I was wrong.

Yeah for Pinterest!!! The pin I found was from LBG Studio and was for an organizer wallet that held an iPhone and a note pad. You can get a full tutorial on her blog here. Since I use my iPhone for note taking I modified the pattern to hold extra cards/ID.

I also added a velcro strap to hold it closed.

Although I love a good purse as well as the next girl, sometimes (well most of the time), I just need my ID and bank cards and my phone.

Ta Da! All in one place and in one of my favourite colour combos of pink & brown!! One more day in the challenge complete and one more thing ticked off my list of projects.

Off to spend an exciting Saturday night on the couch with a blanket and a big bowl of popcorn!

30 Days of Pinterest Challenge Day 4: Pocket Monsters

2011-11-04T22:50:00.002-06:00

Hmmm, there may be a theme happening here…. my original idea for today has morphed into Pocket Monsters!!!

I started out just planning on making pocket warmers, little rice filled shapes that you microwave for 30 seconds and then put in your pockets to keep your hands warm. The photo I had pinned was of a heart shape, cute but kind of boring.

While I was digging though my felt bin to find pieces to use for hearts, I was inspired by the bright happy colours to make these:

The faces were inspired by the cute little aliens that I had pinned here.

I just freehanded the cutting of the bodies, eyes and teeth and used my rather rusty embroidery skills to add the other features. Once they were filled with rice (my monsters are health nuts, only brown rice for them) and sewn shut they were ready for duty!

These little guys will be perfect for keeping your pockets toasty warm this winter!

I loved watching their personalities come to life!

I think they will go nicely with my Boogie Monsters, don’t ya think? Seems I am enamoured with monsters these days.

Our winters here are long, dark and cold… I think my monsters will help brighten those cold days!

Pinterest Challenge Day 3: Coffee Sleeve

2011-11-03T15:03:00.002-06:00

This one has been on the top of my “want to make” list for quite some time. I actually have several versions pinned including versions from Urban Comfort and Crafty Staci. Here is my version:

Today is one of those days when I have a million things to do, including going out to a dinner tonight so I was in my craft room, bleary-eyed, before the sun came up to get today’s project done.

I had this brilliant idea that I would use my Cuttlebug to cut felt into shapes which I would then iron onto the sleeve with fusible web and stitch in place.

Quick and easy, right?

Um, No!

Apparently in my mind I had a huge amount of dies for my Cuttlebug that I would be able to use. What I found I had were lots of little shapes that would take me more than a few minutes before work to stitch on (luckily my boss aka ME is OK with me bringing in a project to work on).

Do you see those tiny little stiches? My grandmother would be proud.

Since I have lots of felt scraps kicking around, I made my sleeve from two layers of felt with a layer of batting sandwiched in between. It should not only make it easier to hold the hot cup but act as an insulator as well. Great for people like me who live miles away from a decent coffee shop.

Because I am a coffee addict and a craftoholic I have been saving paper sleeves because I was sure I would make something out of them some day, I traced one for a pattern. If you don't have a template laying around, googling "coffee sleeve template" will give you lots to choose from. All the versions I had pinned we either made of a stretchy fabric or had some kind of a fastener to hold them tight on the cup. I had neither of those things on hand so I used several small pieces of elastic that I sewed in between the layers like this:

And now it fits nice and snug on my Grande Soy Green Tea Latte! Well, I had to go buy one just to make sure, didn’t I?

Oops, there’s a bald spot! I guess I need to cut out a few more of those cute little paisley shapes. I actually managed to make this reversible, so I still have to fancy up the pink side too. My original plan was make more than one of these because… well let’s face it, I will lose this one. Since my first attempt turned out pretty good I see more on the horizon.

Hmmm, what to make tomorrow?

Pinterest Challenge Day 2: Boogie Monsters

2011-11-02T23:22:00.002-06:00

Back in the sewing room again today to make these, pinned from the blog Better Together.

They don’t look like much when they’re empty but once you stuff ‘em they are stinkin’ adorable! Know what they’re for???

They’re Boogie Monsters!! Bah ha ha!! They crack me up!

What a neat idea for cold and flu season! Carrying around a boogie monster is a lot more fun than a boring old tissue pack.

And that pressing table I made yesterday? Loved having it beside my sewing machine today, so handy!!
I haven’t spent this much time in my sewing room that wasn’t work related in a long time. Tomorrow’s project is something else I’ve been wanting to make for quite a while.

Two days down, twenty-eight to go! So many ideas… so little time.

Happy pinning!

30 Days of Pinterest

2011-11-01T23:23:00.001-06:00

Have you ever had a crazy idea just pop into your head? I did recently while enjoying I glass of wine with my friend Kelly. We were talking about how addicted we are to Pinterest and how we never actually do any of the great ideas we pin. I had a “light bulb” moment and before I really knew what I was saying I suggested we do a 30 Days of Pinterest Challenge.

For the 30 days in November, I’m picking one thing I have pinned, completing it and then blogging about it. It might be a DIY project, a recipe, or a craft… 30 days, 30 pins, 30 blog posts!

I’m pretty sure my husband thinks I’m crazy (he may be on to something) but I’m really excited about this challenge!

So……….

Day One: A TV Tray Pressing Table

My Inspiration was from the blog Texas Freckles

I have lots of sewing projects pinned and although I love my craft room it is small and when I have the full sized ironing board set up it takes up a lot of room.

So I took this:

And turned this old TV tray:

Into a new pressing table to sit beside my sewing machine:

Brilliant, eh?

It’s more stable than my ironing board, looks much nicer and it folds up to be stored away when I’m not sewing. I can’t wait to use it when making tomorrows project!

Am I the only one?

2011-07-28T14:01:00.001-06:00

Me with my babies, early 90's

Lately I feel like I am part of an invisible demographic. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the trend toward mommy bloggers and mompreneurs, but that's just not where I am at right now.

More than once I have thought how awesome it would have been if the internet had been around when my children were toddlers. You see, I was a very young mom... having had both of my babies by the age of 24. I was also an army wife, living on a military base far from my family. I can remember being so lonely at times with two very active kidlets and a husband who was never home. It seems hard to believe now but there was no internet, no email, no skype, no cell phones to call my husband on.

Hell we didn't even own a VCR until my oldest was four! PBS had kids programming in the morning but there were no 24 hour cable channels dedicated to keeping your kids entertained. (Please, please don't think I am accusing anyone of using their TV as a babysitter! I'm just putting it all into perspective for ya). If someone had magically given me a way to connect with other moms in the same boat as me (without even leaving house or trying to find a reliable sitter) I would have cried tears of happiness and relief!!

You don't have to look hard on the Internet to find websites and message boards dedicated to moms these days.... mompreneurs, yummy mummys, work at home moms, stay at home moms.. they are all covered. But I fall into a whole other demographic... I am over 40, I have an empty nest, and I am a entrepreneur to boot.

Same kids... 20 years later

I know there must be others out there... women who found that, after the kids were able to stand on their own two feet, you needed something more fulfilling than the clock-punching job that kept your kids in dance and swimming lessons so you struck out on your own with a business idea that got you fired up and excited! I know, I know, I will never stop being a mom so I could still call myself a mompreneur but I kind of feel like the odd man (or woman) out in that club. I've got a handle on making time for me and finding the work/home balance, and I certainly don't need advice on lactation or potty training! I could however use some advice on relieving stress or even tips on wine tasting or dealing with the dreaded hot flashes

Where are all the websites and support groups for women like me? Seriously, I would like to know... if you find one please facebook me, tweet it, google+ me about it!

A rebirth (of sorts)

2011-07-05T19:51:00.000-06:00

Wow, I can't believe it has been three months since my last post, the time really has flown by! It seems like just yesterday that a comment when I was at my friend Sue's getting a manicure launched a chain of events that I was not expecting to happen at all.

As some of you know, I started an on-line business from my home when I "retired" from library land in 2010 and it has been slowly growing. I'm getting orders from the website and doing lots of local trade fairs and such. When I first left the library I was quite content to stay in my jammies all day and work from home but after a while I began missing daily contact with people. I was getting restless and wasn't sure what my next move would be. Then came the day when Sue mentioned that the candy store that she shared the building with was closing... and the wheels started turning. After talking things over with Mr. B I decided to turn my little on-line business into an honest to goodness brick and mortar store! Yikes!

Before

Before I knew it, I was writing a cheque for the first months rent and we were in demolition/renovation mode to turn the space into my new store. Of course, we had a few breaks along the way for friends and family visiting from out of town but on the 5th of June, Lilypad Lane Children's Boutique was open for business.

After

Now that I have the first month under my belt and life is starting to settle into a semblance of a routine, I am back in blogland! I'm hoping to reestablish a regular blogging schedule (and cooking and cleaning schedule at home, fingers crossed), so I hope you stop by and visit once in a while!

Finding focus with a photo a day - A CY365 Blog Hop

2011-04-04T22:07:00.000-06:00

When I left my job to start my own business and work from home one of my main goals was to slow down and learn to appreciate the little things in life.

I am using my Project 365 to help me accomplish that goal and one of the things that is helping me stick with my project is Capture Your 365. I’ve written about Katrina and her amazing photography classes before, they got me off the auto setting on my camera. Now with Capture Your 365 her daily photo prompts are helping me to see the world through new eyes.

I am noticing textures, shadows and colours so much more.

I am stopping to get out of the car and look around me… this is the road I take several times a week to the city, Katrina’s prompt to photograph lines made me pay attention during my drive, looking for lines to capture.

I am playing with light, even more now that the days are getting longer.

I take my camera almost everywhere, but there are times when I leave it at home… even then I use my trusty Instagram app on my iphone to capture a moment.

I am learning to "Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

I don’t know what I will do with all these photos at the end of my year, perhaps put them all together in a book. I am slowly adding them to a blog I set up just for my 365 photos then I will have them all in one place when I decide what else to do with them.

I would have loved to have a glimpse into a year in the life of my ancestors. Who knows what the day to day life of my grandchildren will look like, our world is changing so fast I can’t even begin to imagine.

I’ll just focus on my world, right now, one day at a time.

If you are arriving here from Life... as I see it via the CY365 Blog hop, Welcome! That’s a little glimpse into my Project 365, the next stop on the blog hop is the very talented Tracy from New Zealand.

There are so many talented photographers sharing their lives through their 365 photos in the CY365 gallery and 13 are joining in the blog hop! The whole list is below please stop by and leave them a comment!

Capture Your 365 Blog Hop List

1. Jill jillconyers.typepad.com
2. Me
3. Tracy tracyannelittle.com
4. Anne limeblog.net
5. Sarah blog.three8sphotography.com
6. Sharon sharonlinnefaulk.com/photo
7. Michelle ourhereandnow.blogspot.com
8. Katrina captureyour365.com
9. Kathleen jkplusthree.blogspot.com
10. Erika imhangingwithmypeeps.blogspot.com
11. Gabi gabirytirova.typepad.com
12. Christi randomactsofchristi.blogspot.com
13. Joey everydayimagination.blogspot.com

Looking at the world with my camera in hand

2011-03-25T09:08:00.003-06:00

In 2008 my husband bought me a Canon Rebel DSLR and for a long time it stayed firmly on auto. In 2010 I was determined to learn how to use all the bells and whistles on this baby and signed up for a photography class… which was cancelled at the last minute. There were lots of classes offered in the city but they were expensive and required lots of driving so I turned to my old friend Google to find a class on-line.

What I discovered was Katrina Kennedy’s classes though Get It Scrapped and I haven’t turned back to auto since (even with my little point and shoot)! After taking her Very Basics class and Your Life: Captured Through the Lens I am so much more confident with my camera. I still have much to learn, but I am having fun experimenting and learning to look at the world around me with a new eye.

In an effort to improve my photography skills (practice makes perfect) I embarked on my first Project 365 in January, which quickly turned into an “Almost 365” Project. Then on March 4th, Katrina launched Capture Your 365 and my project was rekindled and has been going strong ever since!

This morning I checked the site to see that she had chosen one of my photos as one of her favourites of the week! What a great way to start my day!

This is not a photo I would have taken without the daily email prompt which said the shoot something red. My shiny new watering can is just waiting for spring (like me) but I loved how it contrasts against the snow. I’m sure my neighbours must think I’m nuts wandering around outside in the snow with my watering can and camera, taking pictures of it in different parts of the yard.. looking for just the right spot.

I’m loving the community of photographers that is growing at Captureyour365.com, if you are looking for inspiration I encourage you to join me there. Happy shooting!

20 minute Spaghetti Squash “Florentine”

2011-03-22T01:13:00.003-06:00

I love the taste of Chicken Florentine, with it’s rich creamy sauce but it doesn’t really fit into our gluten-free, clean eating lifestyle. This lighten tasting recipe has the flavours of it’s namesake dish without the heavy sauce.

Spaghetti Squash "Florentine"

1 medium spaghetti squash
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp olive oil
2 cups spinach, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Grated parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning (I use Epicure pasta seasoning, it is gluten and salt free and a staple in my kitchen)

Pierce spaghetti squash well with a sharp knife and place in microwave on high for about 10 minutes (until soft to touch), set aside to cool slightly.

Dice chicken breasts and sauté in olive oil with the minced garlic, when no longer pink add spinach and mushrooms and continue cooking until spinach has wilted and mushrooms are softened.

Slice open spaghetti squash and scoop out insides, toss into pan with chicken, vegetables and seasoning. Toss well, add parmesan cheese to taste.

This is a favourite at our house, it’s fast (and only uses one pan), healthy and makes enough for leftovers for lunches the next day. If you really wanted it to have more sauce, you could add some cream at the end when you toss everything into the pan. I have also added a can of artichoke hearts, and sundried tomatoes to this dish with some Greek seasoning and feta cheese (instead of the mushrooms, Italian seasoning and parmesan).

Growing up if you had told me there was a squash that I could use in place of pasta I would have thought you were crazy but we all LOVE spaghetti squash! It’s Mother Natures way of keeping the pasta dishes that we love in this gluten-free household!

More sharing from LOAD

2011-03-13T07:59:00.002-06:00

Here are a few more of my digital pages from Layout A Day
I am finally starting to get caught up on all the housework that went undone while I scrapped for a whole month!

My Ordinary Life

2011-03-12T09:44:00.002-07:00

Never have I been so thankful for my ordinary life… my quiet little town… my tidy little house…
I have watched the news until I just can’t do it anymore, the footage of the wall of water sweeping across Japan destroying everything in it’s wake brings me to tears. As I went about the day yesterday, driving to the grocery store, picking up my green tea latte at Starbucks, the magnitude of all those lives being swept away in an instant overwhelmed me with sadness.
Yet another reminder of how blessed I really am.
Yes, the snow is still piled up around me and it is cold outside but I am safe and warm inside my home (that we own), and my family is safe and warm inside their homes.
If I am hungry I can go to my kitchen and find it full of food to eat. If I don’t want to cook, we can go to any restaurant we want and have a meal.
I have a closet full of clothes to wear and more shoes than any one person really needs.
Most importantly I have a wonderful husband who works hard and believes in me enough to let me leave my job to start my own business. I have children who have grown into intelligent and caring young adults.
My life is not exciting or glamorous; it is quiet and predictable and I like it that way. We don’t have the biggest house or fastest car but I am happy with what I have, there are others who have so much less.
Today, as most Saturdays I will do laundry and cook meals, check email and listen to iTunes and curl up for a movie night with my husband. I will do all those things with a grateful heart for I am truly blessed with my ordinary life!

Seriously? More snow?

2011-03-09T20:15:00.002-07:00

I hate to be a complainer and I know that I live in Alberta and we have to expect these things but really? The forecast is calling for another 5cm of snow… even the dog has had enough!! Yep, that’s poor Lily and once I stopped laughing my ass off at the effects of static electricity on a freshly groomed dog I had to take a picture. Nothing like dry winter air to provide me with entertainment on a cold day.
Don’t worry Lily, spring is on it’s way!

Sharing more from LOAD

2011-03-08T10:34:00.004-07:00

I am still recovering from LOAD and slowly getting caught up on all the housework that doesn’t get done because “I have to finish this page”!
Here are a few more of my faves from February:

Making Your Own Bed

2011-02-27T22:16:00.002-07:00

I am so excited to show off my husband’s handiwork! He made me a new bed!

I have wanted a new bed for some time but really, really didn’t want to pay big bucks for a new one. I finally convinced Randy that he could make me one with the plans that I found from Ana White’s website. I love it, a LOT!
Here’s a close up:

It really brightens up our room and gives us an extra foot of floor space compared to our sleigh bed. Of course, I almost need a ladder to get in it because I am not the tallest person but I am so happy with it!
Now I just need new lamps…

When the weather outside is frightful…

2011-02-26T12:58:00.003-07:00

My top two ways to spend a cold winter day... reading a good book or digital scrapbooking. Since this month was LOAD I did lots of digital scrapbooking and not much reading (or laundry, or cleaning, or cooking).
I find that as the month went on some of my layouts got quite personal so I might not share them all here but I will be adding most of them over the next few days.

I can’t believe this guy is now almost 23… time flies!

A week of creating–a layout a day!

2011-02-07T22:22:00.002-07:00

Today was day seven of the month long “layout a day” that I am participating in during the month of February. I have been looking forward to this for weeks and so far it has not failed to disappoint. The daily prompts that arrive in my inbox are thought provoking and inspiring. Seven layouts down, twenty-one to go!

By the end of the month I will have an album full of fantastic layouts (and probably a sink full of dirty dishes and a mountain of dirty laundry).

Home reno rewind - Kitchen

2011-02-05T12:31:00.002-07:00

I recently had a couple of readers ask about house photos so I thought I would do a few “rewind” posts and catch you up.

We have done a LOT of work on this little house since we purchased it in October of 2006. The first (and by far the most extensive/expensive) was the kitchen. Here are a few before photos:

This was the day we moved in (all the stuff the movers wouldn’t bring from the old house was pile on the counters) and that is all of the cupboards… really… no pantry or anything. I was a little freaked about where everything was going to fit.

This was a few days later, there were boxes in the basement full of dishes and food with no homes. From the being we had plans to take some of the money we made from the sale of our previous home to re-do the kitchen.

We shopped around for DIY kitchens, got quotes from several kitchen renovation companies and in the end hired a local carpenter to build what we needed. He came highly recommended and worked with us me to design exactly what we I wanted. We hired him in November and he promised that I would be cooking Easter dinner in my new kitchen.

These were my new cabinets in August.

We did the demo and prep work ourselves, and then waited (patiently??) for the kitchen to be ready for install. Of course ~~our~~ my plan called for the moving of the plumbing and electrical as well as removing a window (there was more than one).

Oh, happy day! Now to wait for the granite counters so we can get the rest done.

Did you notice a sink in there? Nope, we lived without running water in the kitchen for longer than I cared to remember.

This was all done before my blogging days so I really wasn’t thinking about “in process photos”. Fast forward a little to Thanksgiving weekend (that’s right, not Easter, Thanksgiving) and I am finally cooking a meal in my new kitchen.

I love my granite counters (except for the fact they they show up dust… big time). Hmmm, perhaps I should have emptied the dishes from the sink before I took photos?

Notice all those yummy glass tiles? My hubby did that! Yep, he’s a keeper!

I have oodles of storage.

Oh, look! There’s a photo of my back entry in it’s original, mirrored glory! See this post for it’s make over. The only thing not done at this point is painting the walls, putting in a new floor and installing new lighting.

And here is how it looks today (sorry for the closed blind but it was the only way I could get a decent shot).

I love my kitchen, it is warm and cozy and I can usually be found sitting right here with my laptop (while my husband cooks if I’m lucky). When the window is open it lets in lots of light and I don’t miss the other window one bit. It was a long process from start to finish but worth all the stress we went through!

Fabulous Friday Finds

2011-02-04T17:26:00.000-07:00

This week I discovered a new addiction, Pinterest! If you are like me a can get lost looking at all the great ideas on the internet, you might want to set a timer before you even start on this site. I have so many new ideas swimming around in my head I might be sleeping in my craft room from now on! Here are a few of my favourite finds this week:

Make chalkboard paint in any colour from Martha Stewart!

I am so going to use this idea for storage in my craft room, just when I thought I had seen every use there was for baby food jars! From dav.i.son

I am so glad I didn’t see this in time to make one for this year because I really would have wanted to and wouldn’t really have had the time but next year baby I am so making one of these from momandwife:

And although I know picnic season is still a long way off (for me at least), now is a good time to make one of these cute picnic totes from zakkalife:

Last but not least, make your own accent “lamps” from JC's Loft, how cute are those?

So many ideas… so little time

One little word…. Determination

2011-01-31T20:30:00.002-07:00

For the first time this year I am taking part in Ali Edward’s workshop, One Little Word. As Ali puts it, “A word that to focus on, mediate on, and reflect upon as I go about my daily life.”
I am using the monthly assignments to create a (mostly)digital album but participants are welcome to put their own spin on things.

For 2011 my word is Determination (determined).

Have you ever had the experience where something seemed to be popping into your line of vision all the time? You know, like when you buy a new car and all of a sudden you start to see cars just like yours on the road? That was the way with my word… once I started thinking about what my word should be “determination” seemed to be popping up everywhere… like someone was trying to tell me something.

2010 was a year of soul searching and change for me, it seems that 2011 will be a year for me to stick to my chosen paths and find success through hard work and determination.

2010 was about achieving balance… 2011 is about energy, drive, persistence and willpower.

I use my word daily, starting my journal entries with, "Today I am determined to…."
Some days I am determined to more than others but using my word is keeping me focused on my goals!

Some of the workshop participants are joining together in a blog hop, you can visit the next blog on the hop here:
Kristina’s Blog

You can check out all the blog hop participants below:
1) Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com
2) Jill Conyers http://jillconyers.typepad.com/life_as_i_see_it/
3) Monica http://scraplifters.blogspot.com
4) Lynn W http://crafty-creativity.blogspot.com
5) Miranda http://mirandasscrapsite.blogspot.com
6) Mandy http://captureandcreate.wordpress.com
7) Kathy http://katswonderings.blogspot.com
8) Lisa http://makeyourownescape.blogspot.com
10) Abbey http://athomewiththerichardsfamily.blogspot.com/
11) Sam http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com/
12) April http://capturethememories.blogspot.com
13) Nicky http://seejanebake.blogspot.com
14) Rebekah http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/
15) Relly http://rel.ly
16) Nancy http://goshery.blogspot.com
17) Cynthia http://paperpapereverywhere.blogspot.com/
18) Kathryn http://katlodesigns.com
19) Nikki http://www.inkyart.com.au/
20) Heather http://scrappyhare.blogspot.com
21) Me
22) Kristina http://ciqis.blogspot.com
23) Debra http://blakleyhomeplace.blogspot.com
24) Becky http://beckyandjames.com
26) Marlene http://moore-fun-in-the-sun.blogspot.com/
27) Maureen http://cookingmylife.blogspot.com
28) Cheri http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com
29) Monica Scrapmom http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com
30) Jan http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com
31) Junelle http://yesandamenblog.blogspot.com
32) Margaret http://www.gutsymom.blogspot.com
33) Sharyn http://www.analteredlife.com
34) Tere http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/

Another Space Transformed

2011-01-31T18:31:00.006-07:00

When we first moved into this house, all the closets had floor to ceiling mirrored doors, this photo shows the master bedroom closet (just the end of it) it was 64 square feet of mirror.... on my side of the bed.... waaaaay more of myself than I want to see first thing in the morning!

I hated them, they came off the tracks and I was forever wiping off fingerprints. In the small back entry (off our kitchen) the doors hid some “homemade” shelving that served as a dumping ground for dog food, tools that never made it back to their homes and other miscellaneous crap. I didn’t take a picture before we removed the doors and emptied the shelves but midway through the demo it looked like this:

I had a “light bulb” moment when our local Rona was having a truckload cabinet sale that we could turn this space into a mini version of a butlers pantry giving us some useful storage and getting rid of the ugly dumping ground. I really liked the result except for the fact that the “chimney” was framed in the corner but since we need heat, that had to stay.

Fast forward two years and I am trying to figure out what to do with Randy’s wine tower (our house is too small to give up real estate to a full sized wine fridge). It was a Christmas gift from me and has had many homes (the last one being taken over when I made my AV cabinet). It had been sitting in the living room (my quiet space) and the noise when it ran was driving me bonkers.

Then last week…. “light bulb”! If we cut our base cabinets around the chimney stack and made the counter go all the way across the wine tower would fit perfectly underneath!
I like this version even better (and can use the old counter in my laundry room)!

I love this little space and it holds all our canned goods and my baking supplies (and now the wine). I am considering finding another spot for my cookbooks and making the countertop area into a coffee bar… any thoughts on that?
The only problem is the lack of light which will have to wait until spring when we change the door, which opens onto our back deck with a full-windowed version.

Let's get critical (but in a nice way)

2011-01-30T11:29:00.003-07:00

Yikes! This feels almost like high school all over again! When I first saw this post over at My Repurposed Life, I thought "OMG, I couldn't handle having people critique my blog"! But seriously, I'm an adult now, I can take creative criticism, right? Right? Of course I can! I would love to know what people think about my little blog.

Sooooo...... I am taking the plunge and linking up to this blog hop from My Repurposed Life:

Gulp...

Fabulous Friday Finds

2011-01-28T17:04:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how many wonderful ideas are floating around for Valentine's Day! I hadn't really decorated at home for years (we did at work so I guess that was enough for me) but this year I was inspired by everything I was seeing on-line.

I love, love, love this photo banner from eighteen25!

These up-cycled t-shirt pom poms from Diary of a Craftoholic make me want to go dig out some old t-shirts right now!

How cute is this cupcake liner wreath from Tatertots & Jello?

This felt wreath from The Idea Room is the next project on my list because I have all the supplies already!

This too-sweet-for-words topiary from The Sweet Survival .... well, it's too sweet for words!

Not to mention these adorable bracelets from Holiday Crafts and Creations (what little girl wouldn't love those?)

And this heart necklace by Studio Dax (I am definitely making myself one of these)

Valentine's Day is still over two weeks away so I am sure to find more inspiration between now and then! I will have a good start on my decorating for next year for sure!

Valentine Mantel

2011-01-26T12:23:00.009-07:00

I have been loving all the Valentine Mantels that are popping up in all my favorite blogs. When my kids were small I decorated for every holiday but I no longer have anyone bringing home a plethora of crafts from school to display so over the years it just fell by the wayside. In an effort to brighten things up and try to forget there is lots of winter left, I decided to attempt a Valentine Mantel of my own.

Since I am determined to not waste money in 2011, I shopped around the house for things to use and discovered that I don't have much anymore for valentine decor but I did manage to find a few things that would work.

Like this Christmas ornament that was too pretty to pack up after Christmas:

And this little figurine that Randy gave me years ago:

And this clock that was a gift from a friend:

I grabbed a frame from my shop and printed out this subway art from eighteen25 :

I used some other frames and odds and ends from my scrapbook stash to make these:

And used some 12x12 canvases that I had been saving for another project to make the LOVE art on the wall (and I just attached everything with glue dots so I can take them off later and still paint my canvases).

I kind of like how it turned out, it certainly brightens up the living room and it makes me smile. The best part is it was absolutely free! Mission accomplished!

I'm linking up to the following parties, check them out!

You too could do a layout a day! (LOAD 211 Blog Hop)

2011-01-24T07:37:00.001-07:00

I have been counting down the days until February 1st and LOAD 211. For those of you who don't know what that means, it stands for the Layout A Day February 2011 edition.

This will be my second LOAD, I completed my first in October 2010 and I can honestly say, it changed my life (at least my life as a scrapbooker). I really did finish 31+ layouts in 31 days (they're all right here, you can count them if you don't believe it's possible).

If you want to find out more, click on the little light bulb icon on the right hand side of my blog for a video that will explain it better than I can. I would love to have you join me in February!

If you have already committed to LOAD 211, welcome aboard!! I can't wait to see what you create in February!! Here are a few tips to help you get ready for the ride ahead (at least they help me).

Prepare your space! For digiscrappers like me that means cleaning all the junk away from my computer, hooking up my scanner, wireless mouse and external hard drive. It helps me to start with a clean work area before starting a big project (as it does if I'm working on a paper scrapping project).

Have some photos ready! I spend some time tagging digital photos and organizing my folders so I know where to find them.

Dig through your stash! I have sooo many digi elements saved on my external hard drive, it's good to just spend look through them to remind myself what I have to use!

Don't be afraid to use a sketch/template/pagemap! Seriously this is not a "class" that you should stress out about. Yes, you are committing to a layout a day but you know what? Life happens! During October's LOAD I was preparing for a big community Halloween Party, my husband was in the middle of an election campaign and I was working hard to get my new business off the ground. Some days I just plonked some digi-papers and photos into a ready-made template and said DONE!

Enjoy the process! Those who know me know that I can be somewhat of a perfectionist. I have been known to spend an entire weekend at a scrapbooking retreat and come home with one double layout done. Doing LOAD helped release me from some of my ~~anal~~ perfectionist tendencies toward my pages. I learned to follow my instinct and be happy with the result.

You might want to ~~warn~~ tell your family about what you are doing. I knew when I signed up for my first LOAD that I would need time each day to complete a layout a day but what I did not realize was that I would have so many fantastic layouts by other participants to look at and get inspiration from every day!

I first joined LOAD because I needed a kick in the butt to get me scrapbooking again and I wanted to practice my digital scrapbooking skills. What I found was a community of like minded scrappers that encouraged me on my journey. They commented on my layouts and understood how much work went into each and every one.

I couldn't wait for my daily email from Lain and the wonderful comments on every layout I posted.

I looked at and commented on as many layouts I could from other participants.

I marveled at their talent and creativity.

It challenged me and made me stretch the boundaries as a scrapbooker.

It helped me to stop stressing about each page, define "my style" and be OK with it.

I can't wait for February 1st!

I'm part of a blog hop with past LOAD participants, check out Jennifer - At the blue barn who is next on the hop!

All the participants are listed here in order if you want to start at the beginning:

Lain
Danielle H.
Margie
S
Lisa
Laura
Rosann
Me
Jennifer
Heather
Tere
Niki
Janet
Lee
Danielle T.
Junelle
Julie

Custom cabinet + hidden storage

2011-01-22T11:57:00.006-07:00

I really need to be better at taking before photos. We have done so much on this house and it is kind of neat to see the before and afters. When we first moved in the basement was a HUGE MESS, nothing but old yellowed drywall and cement floors.

We put up walls and installed subfloor, painted and had carpet installed (it is a basement in Alberta and carpeted floors are warmer). From nothing we created a family room, craft room, laundry room as well as having a second bathroom installed.

I loved it all except for the huge TV and all it's components and cords. Finally after three years of looking at it everyday I drew up plans for a new corner fireplace that went all the way to the ceiling so we could mount the TV on the wall and hide all of those hated cords. Once that was done the question became, where do we put all of those components? The temporary solution was giving me hives every time I walked by (I swear it was).

Seriously people, hives! (PS the Buddha was my daughters idea of a joke for my birthday)

So once again I hit the graph paper and came up with a solution! Not only does it hold all the AV components, it also serves as a charging station for our laptops and a mail sorting center. Amazing what you can do with a sheet of MDF and some paint!

And the best part? It is on wheels and when you swing it out of the way it gives easy access to the storage space under the stairs! Isn't it beautiful? Storage makes me happy!

The whole thing just makes me smile every time I walk down the basement stairs. I know I'm a geek but I love having a place for everything.

I'm still debating putting something on the top to finish it off, maybe a piece of slate or granite? I'll be keeping my eyes open for just the right thing and I will know it when I see it.

One more project off the to do list!

I'm linking up to:

Peg People

2011-01-09T19:53:00.002-07:00

Yesterday we spent almost 8 hours driving through a blizzard to deliver this cake:

To this special 5 year old:

He asked for a Disney castle cake with fireworks and Buzz Lightyear flying through the sky and that is just what he got! It was a huge hit! My friend Traci makes the most fabulous cakes (well she DID make the most fabulous cakes... she is hanging up her apron for a while and I am sad to see her go).

The facepainting was provided by my very talented daughter (another huge hit).

Of course we went with a gift for the five year old, a hot wheels race track and cars, but I thought I should bring a little something for his 2 year old sister.

A while ago I had saved a post from Skip to my Lou on making peg dolls. I thought it would make a great little gift for my niece if I made peg dolls of her family. I found two sizes of people at Michaels, dug out some acrylic paints and clear varnish and although my painting skills are a little rusty but I finally came up with these:

She was thrilled with "her little family" and had a great time taking them out of the little cloth bag I had made to show everyone and lining them up on the table.

They were a lot of fun to paint and made a cute last minute gift, it felt great to break out the paints and get a little creative. I bought a few extras.. wonder what I can make with them?

Where I'm from

2011-01-04T14:17:00.002-07:00

Some of you may of heard of the "Where I'm From" writing exercise, if you Google it you will find lots of examples, I first saw it here. My version strays a little from the original formula, but here it is:

WHERE I'M FROM

I am from lazy summers, from Nancy Drew books and board games.

I am from the country, from tadpoles and wild strawberries and hay fields. I am from campfires and playing cards, from picking blueberries and tapping maple trees. I am from skating on ponds and tobogganing in the dark.

I am from the lakeshore, from swimming and diving and canoeing. I am from the forest with babbling brooks and mossy clearings and chattering squirrels.

I am from green thumbs and red hair, from grandmothers with peppermints in their purses and Sunday hats and handkerchiefs. I am from Richardsons and Boutiliers, from Fred and Mabel.

I am from the creative and musical.

From go play outside and be home before dark.

I am from Spirit and Karma, from Sunday School and church picnics and reading and questioning and finding my own way.

I'm from Nova Scotia, lobster dinners & Alexander Keith’s beer.

From the fisherman whose day began well before the dawn, the railroad worker who raised a family of rowdy boys and the soldier who was proud to serve.

I am from farmers and foresters and fisherman, from nurses and homemakers. I am from carvers and quilters and builders and growers. I am from family, aunts and uncles and cousins.

I am from laughter and love.

If you can't find what you need, build it!

2011-01-02T23:57:00.012-07:00

Today was an amazing day! I designed (and built with the help of my DH) my first custom piece of furniture which will house all of our electronic equipment and also serve as a secret doorway to our under-the-stairs storage space. I have wanted to create a hidden doorway ever since I saw this post. I can't wait for it to be finished so I can take pictures of the completed project but for now I will show you my 365 photo for today... a "before shot", can you see why a new cabinet was needed? Seriously this drove me mental every time I walked past it!

Off to bed for me, tomorrow is part two of the build... sanding, painting & installing (and of course picture taking).

***January 5th Update: We are still building and it is looking awesome, just a little more detail was needed before I was happy with the end result.

Welcome 2011

2011-01-01T15:18:00.004-07:00

I love having a whole new year in front of me.. full of promise and possibility! Of course, I have made the obligatory resolutions... eat healthy, exercise more, be kinder and more patient but these are things I continue to work on all through the year (and most likely for the rest of my life).

Looking back on 2010 I would call it my year of change; I left my job, opened my own business, and transitioned (somewhat roughly but I made it) into someone who works outside the home to being home every day. It was a tough transition and at times I wondered if I had made the right choice but in the end I am happy with the changes I made in 2010.

I have signed up for Ali Edwards' new class called One Little Word and will be spending 2011 focusing on my chosen word DETERMINATION. I actually feel like this word chose me more than the other way around, it seemed to be everywhere once I started thinking about what word to chose. It makes sense to me - I have a few goals set for myself that will require determination in 2011.

Today I also started a new "art" journal, I have started them before but always seemed to be intimidated by the process. Although I am definitely crafty I have never thought of myself as artistic. I would see the art journaling done by my artistic friends and feel like my attempts did not measure up. Then I stumbled upon this post and I realized that my way is just fine. So I am starting again, this time rolling my journal into one with my obsessive need to make lists and I hope it will result in something that will be a a somewhat creative (perhaps even artsy in the end) chronicle of my year.

And... last but not least I am once again making an attempt at Project 365 in hoped that it will help to improve my photography skills. There you have it... my loosely woven to-do list for the new year. Let's hope it's a good one!

New website is LIVE!!

2010-11-06T11:15:00.001-06:00

The past few days have been like waiting for a new baby to arrive! I am so excited that my new website is now live. There is nothing like finally seeing your dream come to life! I love the happy colors and graphics, it makes me smile every time I see it.

I have no time to rest and appreciate it though, this week marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season for me (or should I say the Christmas selling season). Five weeks of Christmas markets, and none stop sewing! Good thing I love what I'm doing :o)

I'm off to the sewing room once again, stop by the shop and see what's new!

www.lilypadlane.com

So proud

2010-11-03T15:06:00.003-06:00

So proud
Originally uploaded by gdboyd

Our little corner of the world is just that.. a little corner... and that's just the way we like it.
Last night was the swearing in ceremony for my husband who was elected as our new mayor last month. I am so proud of him, we have had our ups and downs like every couple but they have only brought us closer together. I know he will be a great mayor and will give it everything he's got. I guess that means I will have to learn to give up some of his time but it will be for a good cause.
Good luck, sweetheart.... I've got your back!

LOAD withdrawal

2010-11-02T10:45:00.003-06:00

LOAD Day 31
Originally uploaded by gdboyd

Wow! I did more layouts in October than I have in the past two years (not that I counted layouts for the last two years, but if I did....).

Doing Lain's Layout a Day was such a fantastic experience and to be honest, I am a little lost without my morning challenge. So, in the name of keeping me sane, I am now starting her "Define Your Style from A to Z" workshop!

Today is also the first day of Your Life: Through The Lens with Katrina Kennedy! I learned so much from Katrina's first workshop The Very Basics, and I am soooo excited for this next one. You can follow Katrina on her blog About a Boy.

Now if I can just find that perfect balance that allows me to take the on-line classes I want, create something every day, have a healthy meal on the table every night, exercise every day and keep my house spotlessly clean! If you find it, let me know!

Just the way you are

2010-10-27T21:05:00.002-06:00

LOAD Day 27
Originally uploaded by gdboyd

I am really learning a lot about my camera and last night I snapped this photo of Randy that I just love!
I was trying to find the right words to scrapbook it today when I thought about just using lyrics. Have you ever wondered what would be on the soundtrack of your life? This song by Billy Joel would be one of the top choices for mine. It got me thinking about what other songs would be on my list.... what a great idea for an album (the scrapbook kind, not the musical kind). Anyone out there ever done such a thing?

LOAD Day 24

2010-10-25T11:46:00.003-06:00

LOAD Day 24
Originally uploaded by gdboyd

This has been quite the process..... I really do love getting daily prompts to help spark the creative process. Yesterday the challenge was to answer a quiz which I really enjoyed, what a great way to capture a moment in time! I wonder what I would have done 10 years ago, or 10 years from now?
Randy was asking me yesterday if I think I will keep doing this every day once LOAD is over? They say it takes 21 days to form a habit.... I guess only time will tell. It really did seem like I was embarking on an impossible task at the beginning of the month but now it is almost over and I am kind of sad to see it end.

Layout a Day

2010-10-20T08:58:00.001-06:00

I mentioned before that I am participating my first LOAD (layout a day) and I am just amazed at how it has challenged me as a scrapbooker! I decided that I was going to use LOAD to practice my photoshop skills and I am so glad I did but I have also learned along the way that for me the story that a layout tells is the most important part of the process. I guess it all comes down to why I scrapbook. Yes, it is about the artistic process but most of all it is about remembering life's moments and telling our story. More so since I have begun researching my family tree, I want to leave something behind that will tell my children (and grandchildren) about their past. What seems ordinary and insignificant to us today will give future generations special insight into our lives. I hope you like my latest efforts!

More digi-fun!

2010-10-11T22:23:00.001-06:00

I am loving the versatility of digital scrapbooking! I joined the Layout a Day Challenge to help keep me motivated and it's working, some days I have even finished more than one. I like that it makes it so much easier for me to experiement with different styles (something I hesitated to do when I was worried about wasting supplies).

Morning Has Broken

2010-10-08T16:28:00.002-06:00

Yesterday's challenge was to do a layout without people (had I only known that I would have saved the Jasper layout). I have lots of photos of things but wanted a picture that would convey a feeling when you looked at it. I spent more time looking through all my photos than I did actually making this layout.

I am loving all the free digi stuff that you can find on the web like the digital coffee ring brush from here. It was just the thing I needed to finish off this layout.

Breathtaking

2010-10-07T09:18:00.001-06:00

I know I complain all the time that I miss the ocean but I really do love the mountains. How could you not? I look forward every year to our annual trip to Jasper. This spring we stayed in a cabin at Jasper Park Lodge and this was the view from our door. I had forgotten to bring my camera so had to take these pictures with my iphone; I still can't believe how well they came out.
I was creating this layout for my LOAD challenge and spent quite a bit of time searching for just the right background paper when it hit me that I could just use one of the photos and I think it turned out perfect!!

Best Friends

2010-10-05T22:13:00.001-06:00

Sometimes less is more.....
My sister-in-law is an amazing photographer, this is just one of the photos that she took during out family photo shoot this weekend. I was dying to scrapbook it but didn't want to detract from the picture, I really like how this turned out.

An Ordinary Life

2010-10-04T07:42:00.001-06:00

I have people ask me, "why do you scrapbook"? I even had someone tell me that it seemed like a waste of time to spend hours making something that was only going to get thrown away when I died. Can you believe that???? Sure, most people have no idea how long I spend on some layouts (and it is kind of a family joke that I can spend a weekend at a retreat and finish three pages) but that's OK.

I do it because it feeds my creative spirit but mostly I do it to tell my story and the story of my family. At first it was just all the big life events... birthdays, weddings, vacations, but now I record even the most ordinary days. If my great grandmother had kept such a scrapbook for me to read today, I would consider it such an amazing gift! I would love to know how she spent her ordinary days!

So.... I scrapbook for me.... I scrapbook for my children.... and I scrapbook for their children. I wonder what an ordinary day will look like for them?

Halloween Past

2010-10-02T09:39:00.000-06:00

I love October! This is the month of Thanksgiving (here in Canada) and Halloween, of pumpkin spice and apple cider, falling leaves and sometimes even snow. It is that in-between time when it is not too hot to sleep or too cold to stay outside without being bundled up in layers of clothes.

Did I mention Halloween? When my kids were small, September didn't just mean back-to-school, it meant a trip to the fabric store to look at the pattern books and pick out a costume. There were no limits, I would make them whatever they asked for, it's one of those things I miss every year. Maybe that's why I started a business based on dressing up and make believe?

I just signed up to participate in LOAD (Layout a day) for the month of October. That's 31 layouts in 31 days, YIKES! I was up until midnight finishing my first layout... I will need to change that if I want to make it all 31 days. I need to practice digiscrapping so I thought this would give me the push I needed.

Hello photoshop, you and I are going to be spending a lot of time together this month!

Gluten free pumpkin goodness

2010-10-01T08:29:00.001-06:00

Baking the gluten free way has its challenges, but if (like me) you are also allergic to tree nuts (which means you can't use almond flour) it is even harder. Now that it is fall I have been craving pumpkin everything including muffins. My new favorite store is Bulk Barn where they have lots of gluten free products including coconut flour! How can you go wrong with coconut? It smells heavenly unlike rice flour, the staple in a gluten free diet, which I really don't like the flavor or texture of. Since these disappeared quickly (next time I am hiding some in the freezer) I can safely say they were a big hit with the gluten eaters in my house.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins

6 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin

4 tbsp coconut oil, melted (I have seen butter used in place of coconut oil in other recipes so you could probably use it here if you don't have coconut oil)
6 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking powder (gluten free)
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Mix together wet ingredients in bowl. Sift together dry ingredients and slowly add to bowl, stir well to remove lumps. Fill lightly oil muffin tins about 3/4 full (these don't rise as much as conventional muffins). Bake in a 400° oven 15-20 minutes.

Fall mantel (sort of)

2010-09-30T12:10:00.006-06:00

I admit, I drool over all the home decor blogs! I want to be buddies with Thrifty Decor Chick and go shopping with her in thrift stores finding lots of cool things to spray paint. But alas I live in a little town in Alberta where I am sure I will never see any of the bloggers I follow walking down the street so I continue decorate vicariously though them.

Don't get me wrong, I do have seasonal decor items that my husband drags in and out of storage for me with just a few grumbles here and there but I can't imagine ever doing the complete transformations that I see out there in the blogosphere. You see there are some things in my home that simply cannot be moved (well, actually they could be moved but they belong in my everyday life) like the painting that is over my "faux mantel" (insert sigh over the fact that the only mantel in my living room is "faux). My daughter painted this when she was in high school and yes, I decorated my living room based on the colors in her painting. I think she is amazingly talented and want whoever comes into my house to see her work.

My grandfather's fiddle.... I know when he gave it to me he was hoping one of my children would learn how to play it but neither of them had any interest. I wonder what he would think of the fact that it is on display in my home?

(I thought the mantel was a little too dark so I printed some clipart on plain computer paper and mounted it on a scrap of cardstock in a frame that I already had, gotta love making stuff for FREE!)

This clock belonged to my great grandmother. She had painted everything in her bedroom with silver stove paint including this clock which my mother got after she died. Mom stripped off all the old paint and I just love it. It does work but the ticking is really loud so most of the time we just don't wind it.

Someday I will have a real mantel to decorate, but for now my Ikea shelf will have to do but that's OK, I kind of like it.

I am taking the plunge and linking up to The Nester's fall mantel party and The fall get-together party thanks for stopping by!

Cool Book Display

2010-09-26T15:28:00.001-06:00

I have been looking for a way to display books face out in my shop that wouldn't take up a lot of floor space. It has been the source of much discussion because they needed to:

look good
not cost much

Lucky for me I have brilliant friends and this week one of them suggested I use rain gutters! Seriously, what a flipping brilliant idea! I have seen them used to hold spools of ribbon while drooling over craft room pictures on the many blogs I ~~stalk~~ follow but had never seen them used for books. All I had to do was Google "rain gutter book shelves" and I found lots of posts about them (leading me to believe that I obviously need to follow more blogs).

Since this is Canada it cost me a bit more to make than most of the posts suggested, it was around $50 to buy the gutters, brackets and end caps at my local Rona but I love the way it looks.

Nooooooo..........

2010-09-19T20:11:00.000-06:00

Here I thought I was being so smart! Seems I have accidentally deleted my old blog and blogger profile :(

At first I thought I had lost all my old postings completely and then I thought I was smart again because I remembered that I had downloaded all the posts from my old blog onto my computer. So, I exported them again and went from having them all disappear to having double of everything, aarrrgggg!!!!

Sooo..... I deleted one of everything and now half of the photos from my posts are gone. For once I am glad that it is a cold rainy Sunday because I have spent most of it working on this blog. As I refuse to be outsmarted by an inanimate object I may be sitting here for awhile yet.

New name, new look

2010-09-18T23:04:00.004-06:00

There have been so many changes in my life since my last post! Thursday was my last day working at the library and I am now officially self-employed full time. This is a huge transition for me and I thought I would kick it off with a new look and name for my blog. Luckily I am taking a Blog Design Basics for Blogger class from Jessica Sprague.com so I was able to import all the old posts from my previous blog. As I learn more I will be making changes and (I hope) posting more often since I will be working from home.

I'd love to have feedback on my new look!

A new venture

2010-02-17T08:06:00.002-07:00

It all started last fall when I was looking for pirate and fairy costumes for Jace & Kira. Everything was waaay overpriced and cheaply made. I kept thinking... this is ridiculoous.... I could soooo make something cuter for half this price!!! When my kids were small making costumes was one of my favorite things to do, I got more excited than they did over halloween. I have decided to start my own business making & selling kids dress up clothes. So, my craft room is buried in fabric and I all my scrapping supplies are pushed aside for now. Bear with me, I will take a break and post more pages soon, I promise!

My little boy

2010-01-13T15:32:00.002-07:00

Photos of my son are hard to come by, he gets his camera shyness from his mom. This was him on New Year's Eve on his way out to a party, I really felt like he grew up all of a sudden. It really does seem like yesterday he was just a little boy.

Fall flashback

2010-01-13T15:28:00.002-07:00

I am so pleased with this layout, another digi-scrapped page using a template by Jen Caputo from scrapbookgraphics.com These are shots I took around the house in September, my favorite time of year!

Little boy at heart

2010-01-13T15:23:00.002-07:00

I am still home sick and spending my time doing some digital pages since I have no energy to do anything else. This is another Jessica Sprague layout, I am love, love, loving her on-line courses!

Storytime

2010-01-12T17:26:00.002-07:00

This is my last one for the day and I did it all myself without using a template! All the digi papers, alphabets and brushes were free as part of my Jessica Sprague course but the layout is all mine. This is my dad and my nephew who was trying to convince grampy to come live with him on the moon.

Buzz Lightyear

2010-01-12T14:12:00.002-07:00

I am on a roll today, too bad I'm not counting these toward my 2010 layout challenge. Another Jessica Sprague layout and more photos from my sister-in-law, this time of my nephew Jace (aka Buzz Lightyear). To say he is obsessed with Buzz would be kind of an understatement... oh to be four again....

Beautiful you

2010-01-12T12:25:00.002-07:00

The only thing I can really take credit for in this layout is giving birth to such an amazing child! The photo was taken by my sister-in-law and the layout is from Jessica Sprague.

Best friends

2010-01-12T11:36:00.003-07:00

First let me just say that I hate having my picture taken and I never scrapbook myself but another resolution this year is to try to love myself the way I am. How stupid is it to never put yourself in anything because you are waiting until you lose some weight or have a better hair day, etc. Looking back at photos of my grandparents and parents I am just happy to have the memories of them, I don't care how they looked. This is a photo of Randy and I on top of the Sears Tower in Chicago, it is another Jessica Sprague tutorial and I had to do was drop in the photo and journaling. I know, it's cheating but give me a break... today is a sick day!

Digital Layout

2010-01-12T10:27:00.002-07:00

Another of my resolutions for 2010 was to learn how to use Photoshop Elements. For the most part I can figure out how to do most things by myself when it comes to computers but this is not a user friendly program! I have enrolled in what will likely be the first of many Jessica Sprague classes and since I am home sick today I dove in and completed the first lesson. There is nothing original about this layout, I just followed instructions... but I like it! It is my niece Kira, my sister-in-law is an amazing photographer but she doesn't scrapbook so I often scrap photos she sends me of her kids. (Plus they are so darn cute, I can't help myself).

Book talk

2010-01-05T20:45:00.001-07:00

Last night my bookclub discussed the book Midwives by Chris Bojhalian. I guess I was expecting more from a book with the famous Oprah seal of approval but I found the characters lacking in depth. This book seemed to be trying to hard to be both a coming of age story and a gripping coutroom drama and fell short on both counts. Most of the other club members were equally underwhelmed, perhaps due to the fact that it paled in comparision to the previous club selection.

In December the bookclub read The Birth House by Ami McKay. I fell in love with this book first because of it's setting in my native province of Nova Scotia. I could not help but root for Dora Rare as she struggled to find her place in her small rural community. The story is peppered with folklore and weaves its way in and out of historic Nova Scotia and Boston in a wave that puts it on the top of my "must read" list.

Felicity Collection

2010-01-03T22:42:00.003-07:00

I'm on a roll today! This 2-page spread is using the new Felicity Collection that you could get for free during National Papercrafting Month. It looks much better "in person", I really need to figure out how to take better photos of my layouts. 2 more pages done.... 117 to go!

All products CTMH: Felicity Collection paper & stamps, desert sand & terracotta cardstock.

Let it Snow

2010-01-03T11:38:00.003-07:00

I have had these pictures sitting at the top of my pile for some time waiting for me to scrapbook them. They are of my son almost 8 years ago. He loved to shovel snow and had done our house and all the neighbours he knew and then we looked out to see him shoveling the back yard! Of course then he turned into a teenager who wouldn't to anything without complaining. LOL! He is now a young man and shovels for mom again but not with the exuberance he showed in these photos. One layout down in 2010.... 119 to go!

All products were CTMH except a few snowflake brads from my stash. Aspen paper, Heartfelt Wonder diecuts, Twinkle brads, Dimensional Elements Flurry & On Target.

Happy Birthday Jace

2010-01-01T23:49:00.003-07:00

Tomorrow is my nephew's 4th birthday and so I was faced with what is a huge challenge for me, making a card that is not "girly". Here is what I finally came up with, he is a little obsessed with Buzz Lightyear and space so hopefully this will be a hit. I used this week's mojo monday sketch.

2010 Layout Challenge

2009-12-30T20:07:00.000-07:00

My goal for 2010 is to find more time to nurture my creative side and to help me stick to that goal, I have joined a Layout Challenge with other CTMH consultants.
I am challenging myself to complete 120 layouts (or 60 2-page spreads) in 2010! I am really hoping this will be the year I use up some of the paper and embellishments I have been collecting in my craft room.

I have listed the other participants on the sidebar, hop on over to their blogs and see what they are creating too!

Mark the Date!

2009-05-13T07:57:00.003-06:00

My craft room is clean today! I had to take pictures to prove that I do clean it from time to time!

A great read

2009-04-21T20:06:00.000-06:00

Working in the library field for most of my adult life and being a reader for as long as I can remember, I have read alot of books. Many of them are old friends, some I have read over and over. Although I enjoy reading all genres and often "get lost" in a book, not many have really blown me away.

About a year ago, we started a "classic" book club, I loved Great Expectations, labored over Mansfield Park (I hate wimpy female characters) and couldn't finish Lorna Doone but I have been blown away by East of Eden! When was the last time I had to stop and reflect on a passage because I found the writing so powerful that I could not go on until I had completely digested what I had just read? I can't remember. The copy I am reading is a library book and is full of post-it notes marking my favorite passages, before I return it I have to buy my own copy.

Where was Steinbeck all my life?

Rockin' Potluck

2009-04-20T08:12:00.001-06:00

One thing I love about small towns that you just don't find in the city is the sense of community. Saturday was the annual library fundraiser where we have a potluck dinner & silent auction. This year's theme was a Rockin' Potluck. I have an amazing lady on both the Library Board and the Friends of the Library who did a fantastic job with the decorations.
I wish I had time to take more pictures, Traci you are so creative!

These were my contibution, centerpieces for the tables. They were a cheap and easy way to decorate the tables..... well, at least they should have been a cheap and easy way to decorate the tables. The actual procedure for making them went like this:

In an effort to spend as little money as possible I purchased these cute little takeout boxes from Michaels and some suckers from Costco for a grand total of $25 (good price for 10 centerpieces, right?
I knew my dear husband had a can of spray foam insulation kicking around in his domain that I could use to fill the boxes so I wouldn't have to but floral oasis, so he kindly agreed to let me use it and even filled them all for me.
I waited for the foam to expand and get hard and then I assembled all 10 of them, patted myself on the back at how good they turned out and went to bed.
In the morning, I learned something new about spray foam.... it keeps expanding for hours!!!! My cute little boxes had expanded as well and were beyond repair.
I swore briefly, laughed for a few minutes and then went back to Michaels for more cute little boxes and floral oasis. Back home again (did I mention it takes almost an hour to "run" to Michaels and back from my house?) my ever patient husband took the opportunity to point out to me that in my attempt to save money I had used up a can of spray foam that cost him $13 to replace floral oasis that cost me $3.50. He is lucky I think he is cute.

There is my dear husband who got roped into being the MC.

See all those tables in the basement? They are loaded with silent auction items. There was some fast and furious bidding at the end. I hope everyone had fun, I sure did.

Easter treats

2009-04-17T07:11:00.002-06:00

Since I had my sewing table all set up working on my part of the library quilt, I thought I would make easter bags for Jace & Kira. Of course, once I was let loose in the fabric store, I bought extra fabric and made bags and pillows. Oh, and enough left over to make a couple of matching lap quilts! The kids were more interested in the treats inside at first, but I'm sure they will get lots of use. It has been fun to hit the sewing machine again and I have been perusing the quilting magazines at work looking for another project, someting small I can quilt on the deck now that (I think) spring has finally hit.

Treasure Hunting

2009-04-16T07:15:00.003-06:00

My dear husband is a grandpa in training! Easter weekend just passed and we spent a day with my brother's family. My babies are 21 & 23 and my niece and nephew are 1 & 3, so naturally we tend to spoil them a wee bit. I try to bring some kind of activity to do with my nephew Jace & this time it was a pirate ship! (I am bravely posting this photo even though I look terrible, it's the happy three year old that is the important part).

Not to be outdone, Uncle Man (long story) embarked on a treasure hunt that went something like this:

One little boy with a treasure map (made by my daughter on a previous visit).

One Uncle who is still a little boy at heart.

The hunt is on! They disappeared down the street and we waited............. and waited......... and waited....... then we saw two tired out treasure hunters returning with pockets full of pinecones, cool rocks and a shiney penny. There was easter candy waiting next to an X in the yard (hmmm, how'd that get there).
Another successful visit!

Back in the saddle

2009-04-04T19:35:00.002-06:00

Well...not really a saddle! But I am trying to get back into posting again. This weekend is the first in a long time that I am home alone! Yahoo! Glorious quiet and solitude! Except of course for the sound of the dog running to look out the window whenever she heard the slightest sound from outside. Apparently she cannot come to terms with the fact that her best friend in the whole world has left her.

In between distracting the lonely dog and finishing my book club book, I did find time to stop by the open house at Sublime Aesthetics here in Bon Accord. Sue, the owner is an awesome lady, and I am a loyal customer so I had to stop by and show my support! She has done a great job in her first year and I hope her continued success. It is so important to support local businesses.
Now that I have finished this month's ladies book club book "When Alice Lay Down With Peter", a story of four generations of Manitoba women that was not as bad as some club members had lamented, I am sinking my teeth into "East of Eden" for the classic book club. But not tonight.... tonight, I am retiring to the family room to watch chick flicks since I have the TV to myself! Let the tears begin!

It's all a matter of perspective

2008-08-08T07:38:00.002-06:00

This week I learned that the unavoidable has finally happened... my eyes are getting older and I need bifocals.... yuck!! I don't know why this depressed me so much but I was really feeling sorry for myself. Believer that I am that things happen for a reason, it seems like more than a coincidence that I would get a phone call at work from one of our patrons who is an amazing gardener tell us it would be a good time to come visit her garden. This lady amazes me with her energy and zest for life! She has turned her backyard into a paradise and she is almost twice my age! I always leave her house feeling so inspired.

During one discussion with her about ponds, I mentioned that I really wanted a pond in my yard but my husband didn't want to dig the hole. Her response has stayed with me..... "Don't think of it as digging a hole", she said "just put your wheelbarrow and shovelwhere you want your pond to be, and every time you walk by put a shovel full of dirt in the wheelbarrow. Before you know it, you'll have a pond!".

I guess it's true what they say, you are only as old as you feel. We are not sure how old Elizabeth is but she is certainly young at heart. One shovel of dirt at a time she has created an oasis of colors and smells that delight your senses. After touring her backyard, when we turned the corner to the front of her house which is an expanse of grass she said, "If I was 50 again, I would start another garden here". I think of her now everytime I look at my little flower beds and see a few weeds poking out of the ground.... I don't think I will ever complain about weeding again.

Puppy 911

2008-08-01T20:33:00.002-06:00

Life with a puppy is never dull! Lily is now almost 5 months old and entering what our vet refers to as her "teenage years". Just great! We finally made it through the teenage years with our two legged children and now we are back in the saddle again with a four legged teenager. The discovery of the day today was "hornets are not fun, and effect puppies worse than people". After a very scary emergency visit to the vet and some benedryl to stop the swelling, we have all lived to tell the tale. As I type my dear hubby is in the yard doing battle with a nest we discovered in our composter while Lily and I are laying low and nursing our stings. I tend to shy away from things that attack me, but Randy gets pissed and hunts them down (must be the testoterone). One little tip I learned today.... if a hornet follows you into the house, spraying it with Pam cooking spray will kill it! Makes you wonder if you should really be cooking your food in it.

Alberta Summer

2008-07-08T06:15:00.001-06:00

I don't think I will ever get used to this weather. A "typical" July day goes something like this.... the sky is blue... no wait... those clouds are black..... wow the sky looks weird (check the weather channel for tornado warnings)...... insert downpour of rain here.... oh look a rainbow & the sun is shining.... but it is still raining.

Have I mentioned how much I miss the maritimes? Tornado warnings were literally something from the Wizard of Oz until I moved here. Oh well, life goes on...... with a wary eye on the horizon.

Yesterday was the first day of the Summer Reading Program at the library. 45 kids and still the stragglers are coming in with registrations. I went to work two hours early and still left with piles of stuff not done at the end of the day. I am planning on banking up some of these extra hours to take some much needed R&R with my dear husband at the end of the month.

New baby

2008-07-01T06:37:00.004-06:00

This is one of the reasons I haven't been blogging of late, our new baby Lily. She is providing us with endless hours of affection, entertainment, and frustration all rolled up in one furry little ball. Since my youngest child is 20 years old, potty training was a distant memory for me. We have been cat people for the last 20 years and they were a whole lot easier to train.

This morning she woke me promptly at 6am, looked at me like I was an alien as held the door open for her at least 5 times, waited for me to make a cup of coffee and sit down, and then peed on the floor!!! She then proceeded to return to her kennel, curl up in a ball and fall fast asleep!

So, here I sit at 6:45, wide awake and trying to be quiet so I don't wake my dear hubby on his day off, LOL! Oh, well! As my grandmother used to say.......This too shall pass......

Today is Canada Day and we will be helping to serve the pancake break in the park in our little corner of the earth today. I am also hoping to hear from my friend Kelly today. Her husband became ill while back in Canada on leave from Afghanistan and has been sent home for more tests. I know from my 20+ years as a military spouse that although we want our loved ones to come home from these tours, illness is not the way we want it to happen.

Mother - Daughter Scrapfest

2008-02-03T21:45:00.003-07:00

I just spent the weekend at a ladies retreat with my daughter, Amanda. We scrapped, ate & slept - then scrapped some more! It was a nice quiet weekend and we both got lots accomplished. Now, I have to unpack and put my craft room back together!

Turning back the clock

2008-01-30T21:54:00.002-07:00

I have spent hours sorting through my photos to try and get them in some kind of order so I can scrap them. I wish there had been "scrapping" when my kids were little, maybe then I wouldn't be so far behind. This layout, finished tonight, is of my daughter, who will soon be 22 years old!

I love CTMH scrapbooking kits, paper packets and stickers, everything coordinates so nicely. This layout uses the Simple Pleasures Kit and Bamboo, Cocoa, Desert Sand and Twilight paper and inks.

My home coffee shop

2008-01-30T19:19:00.003-07:00

Once upon a time we lived in the city and every morning I would go through the drive-thru and pick up a latte to enjoy on my way to work..... life was good! Then one day I was offered a job in a small town and we sold our city house and moved to the country.... life was still good (and much more laid back and quieter) except for one thing........ My husband, who still worked just outside the city would call before he came home from work each day and the conversation would go something like this:

Hubby: Is there anything you would like me to pick up for you on the way home from work?
Me: Oh, yes please! Could you swing by the drive through and pick me up a latte?

This lasted for a few weeks when the conversations changed to this:

Hubby: Do you have any idea how much money you spend in lattes? Can't you just make coffee at home, we have a perfectly good coffeemaker.
Me: But it's not the same......(pout, pout, pout).....

This went on for some time until Starbucks had thier annual brew event and machines were 40% off. I became the proud owner of my very own machine and can make lattes, etc. to my hearts content and my husband never has to go through a drive-thru again! (Now I spend money on neat mugs and flavoured syrups)!

Snow day

2008-01-28T17:51:00.003-07:00

The temperature dipped to -55 celcius with the windchill today and the roads were impassable in places. School buses weren't running and some schools were closed, so I took a "snow day". I spent most of the day making cards for a CTMH swap I am in. It's amazing how fast the day goes when you are being creative!

A little love

2008-01-27T17:31:00.003-07:00

I finally managed to get back in the craft room today. January has been such a crazy month, it seems like the days are getting shorter, not longer. This is a card that I made for a sketch challenge, but also for a swap with a group of ladies in a technique class I attend once a month.

Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T22:44:00.002-07:00

2007 has been a year of challenges.
I don't remember making them, but I'm sure my resolutions at the beginning were the same as always; lose weight, exercise more, be more organized, have more patience. I think I will resolve the same things for 2008 (why break with tradition) but I have learned a few truths this year that I hope to remember in the year to come.
Don't take mental health for granted, it is just as important as your physical health. Remember to stop and look at the wonder of this world we live in, your email wait, the sunset will not. Take time everyday for yourself, even if it is just a few minutes in the morning to sit in the quiet....no TV.... no radio..... just a few moments of peace before you face the day. Be thankful, be generous, be silly sometimes, and LAUGH!
Welcome 2008, I hope you are a good one!