Makeup to mud in 3 seconds flat

It's Monday!

Hey everyone! how's it going?? I'm loving this weather! Beautiful! It's really exciting seeing spring here... (maybe, almost, fingers crossed)

Well anyways , we have enjoyed being outside...

  funny kid!

It was so nice, only vests were needed.

So we went to a hockey game on Friday. Fun.

we sat right behind the goal, so most of my photos have that lovely screen in them. oh well? We had great seats to watch action though!

We were heavily into spring cleaning again. I have gotten so much done it is fabulous. Didn't get a chance to finish but that's this weeks job for me. We spent quite a bit of time with my grandparents on Sunday. Jenn & I helped my one set out cleaning their house, and I gave haircuts and sets. The later part of the day we went to be with my gramma Elian. It was sad to see her so sick. I hate cancer, I hate what it does to people, I hate how people suffer when they get it. She didn't talk about missing grandpa at all, but it was nice to see all the family by her bedside visiting, telling stories. Her spirits were brought up too by all of her great grandchildren running around her bed, acting like true little boys. Last night I was over at Pam's and it was amazing to see how big Rhys is getting, and that she is only 5 weeks away from her new addition arriving. Wow, life moves so fast. Then I realized again that I have only 3 months left. Okay, get back to cleaning, getting organized, making room for baby, you all know the drill! LOL.

tomorrow is going to be fun. I have little demos to show you. So I'll see you guys later!

Spring... & winners

So I received quite a few entries for the fab Spring magazine contest. The prize was a copy of the latest issue of Canadian Scrapbooker and I had 2 to give out! So let's show you some of the entries...

The first is a card by Jan Scholl.

  super pretty! elegant card, way to go.

next was some great layouts from my friend Jennifer Fast!

now let's go to Cheryl...

I thought that was a very clean layout, nice! I like the look of the one large panoramic photo throughout the middle of the page.

Anita sent her site to look at and it was just full of ideas, especially if you are a stamper. go check her out here...

Roxanne sent a few great works of art too! I love her header photo too! reminds me of my boys. check her out here.

 .

she also showed a photo of spring  (thank goodness you didn't spend the money on landscaping!!!!)

  sorry about the flood!

Stephanie sent this pic of her son Zach, cute!

Looks just like something I'd see around here.

And for those of you that left comments they were great!@ I laughed my head off when Jody said the smells of the corral melting, I know that smell, I lived it most of my life and yes, ironically even though it is sometimes pretty potent, it still is a little welcoming of spring. I did lose my favourite Birkenstock sandal in that "s@#!" one summer and tried to pay my brother $20 to retrieve it. needless to say I have never still to this day seen that other sandal.

And there were so many more great comments. I randomly drew and the winners are...

Jan Scholl & Annelies! Congrats girls, please send me your addresses and I will get those copies of Canadian Scrapbooker in the mail to you!

I have to show you this one I did of Riley 2 years ago, it is still one of my favourite spring layouts...

I think this still was one of my favourite lines of Basic Grey. 

So last night Jim asked for a roast for supper, and I thought what a smashing idea. I make a mean yorkshire pudding , why not. so I thought everything was going so smooth, then my stove started saying the failure mode and shut off. you have got to be kidding me. I couldn't fix it for anything. And I sure wasn't into eating raw meat. So for the next hour and 20 min. I had to keep turning the roast, potatoes, carrots & onions over and over in a deep frying pan, somewhat steaming it in its own juices to not make it tough. It actually turned out incredibly tender, but required WORK! not just put it in the oven and leave it so no yorkshires but I did end up with an unbelievable gravy that I'm sure I'll never be able to recreate again because I'll never ut that much time into standing at the stove with not much hope for getting anything done. It just simmered itself into its own sauce after that long. So now my oven is out of commission till next week. Ei yi yi. I had such plans for baing too today. oh well. wasn't meant to be. But one good thing came about it, we moved that stove and I washed the walls and floor behind it.

So Jim and I are making some practical changes to my laundry room, it does require me to work though right now, as I have to take apart a whole closet so he can build the new counter and storage area. So it should be exciting, if all goes as planned.  So I will see you guys later, off to clean..

 

inspiration...

I think it is pretty awesome all the comments & emails I received about yesterday's blog photos, my little book of love. I am so glad that you guys felt that I inspired you to create one of your own. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed.  Some of you guys made me tear with your own stories of why this book would be beneficial & important to you. Don't wait a day longer, put your hearts into it!

So I thought that I would dedicate this day to inspiration. I'm always inspired by so many things; maybe the environment, colours that kids wear, things I read, billboards, magazine ads, everything. They give us little flashes of how to do things to change to make better, etc. And I find that in scrapbooking we actually have a lot of people and events that inspire us to move forward. For me I was reading Jessi Lute's blog the other day. such a fun girl, who is an amazing scrapbooker and this page jumped heaps and bounds to me. She wrote so candidly about a subject that must have been very painful for her growing up as a little girl, but then she shows how she is able to make a turnaround and start to grow again and rediscover a life she missed out on. I reread it over and over. And the page itself is just put together so well. It inspired me! So my challenge to you is to read her layout and scrapbook your own personal situation. Have you experienced something that you want to change or work towards making a difference in? PLease go read Jessi's layout about her dad  called TIME. It's her latest challenge for ONE LITTLE WORD.

Also, maybe you aren't sure how to start scrapbooking these personal thoughts that you need to share. There is an event taking place in May that is geared just for that...Scrapbook your heart. It takes place May 23-May 25th at Camp Caroline.just click on their name if you want to know more about it. The event is hosted by my uber cool friend Allison Orthner (host of Crop & Cruise) and she has brought on the talent of Cari Locken & Janine Wahl. Fantastic ladies! So if you are looking for that convention that is just a little different, with more of a focus on emotional side of scrapbooking. I would love to attend this event as the goal is so brilliant, but I am due just after it and I don't think I want to travel.

So on the personal front I am seeing the light in my scrap closet! sweet! I'm pretty organized, and I placed a few orders yesterday for just a few more things that will really organize me. I'm excited. I would be a smidge more excited if we had an IKEA here though. Such a great place for just those weird little organizational things you wonder what people ever use them for.

One more day to tell me your spring thoughts, likes, pages etc. I will select the winner tomorrow and I have 3 layouts & photos to show you that you guys submited. cool.

see you tomorrow.

***also, I have updated my link list, there is a few more I want to put on yet, but I am just blown away by the Alberta talent out there. I added about 5 or 6 more girls that I truly think are cool, fun to talk to, and very creative. Check em out!

my little book of love for my family...

so here is a few pages out of the book I told you I made when my friend Trina died. Last year she died so young, with little children and didn't have a chance to say goodbye. It hit me pretty hard and made me realize that closure is always good no matter the circumstances. Why not be prepared for it? Okay, that's not always realistic, we are never prepared, but why not make it easier on those around you. I have always wrote private letters to my family, kids and Jim, that I keep in hidden journaling, but this to me is something that I don't mind to be displayed. I want to share with everyone how much I love my family.So here is a few pages out of my 8x8 mini album. Full of Crate paper, L'il Davis paint, gaffer tape, technique tuesday stamps, glossy accents, buttons. just fun and simple. and it still has areas that I can continue to add too till it is full! I haven't finished all of the pages for just this reason, as I will add when the new one arrives!

cover (I  love Ranger's crackle paint!!!)

more layouts

I worked on my scraproom again last night, and I am really loving peg boards. Jim put up a wall of peg board for me and I spent a few hours arranging and hanging up some of my embellishments. It's great. so it was nice to see some progress coming in my room. Don't worry, when I finish I will show you how you can completely organize a closet!!!! LOL.

Anyways here is some more layouts...

I had fun with this one, I maybe got a little carried away witht the stamping... but oh well!

  so this one is totally not my style but it was a challenge to use these papers and embellishments . I don't mind the softer look though. To me this line of Basic Grey just screams Easter or perfect for a baby girl.

Have I shown you this one already? I can't remember. Pregnancy brain. Anyways, this one came together so simple because it is mostly a transparency that I overlayed on My Mind's Eye paper. add some paper lace, ric rac and flowers, and a little rub ons. The title of the transparency was actually These Ole days, but I covered it with "Brothers" because the old title didn't suit my pic.

Have a great day guys, see you tomorrow for more layouts... and I am so excited because I have been lining up next week's schedule for my blog, and I am going to do demos all week! cool hey???

hello

some of your answers for the Spring contest are awesome!!! I love the smells of spring too the most.  Keep sending your respsonses or layouts, I'll keep entering all of them till Friday!

Last night Jim wanted a fondue, so it was fun. I wasn't planning on taking any pics but Riley was like please mom, I want to see it. Too bad I did it so hastily! funny kid. Jager eats fondue so fast that you can barely keep up with him. we have to have like 4 forks going at all times just for him. he has no patience to wait for each to be cooked. funny kid.

so here's a few layouts:

I loved this American Crafts line so much I did 3 layouts with it! Isn't is such cool colours & patterns?

check back tomorrow for more layouts. also keep sending in all your Spring thoughts, projects, layouts, cards. I will post submissions from bloggers on Friday. Super!

Spring Contest!

So what another great weekend we are having so far. Jim & I are totally spring cleaning everything, getting our house ready for baby & spring and apparently I guess my husband is now becoming a woodworker. He's been playing and investing in saws and practicing as he is now going to build things. Crazy, but I guess it might be his new interest. And I'm actually a fan of the idea as I have so many ideas for storage to be built. But he has just as many plans too, so we'll see where this adventure takes us. Anyways, in order to win a copy of CANADIAN SCRAPBOOKER MAGAZINE you just have to tell me what you love about spring. Or show us a spring layout or card, or What you are looking forward to doing, maybe activities you are excited for. Anything goes. and I will make the draw on Friday. Enter as many times as you like. I think the prize is great so the more chances the better. Also I created so many layouts last night so I will spend this week showing new layouts layouts and more layouts! Sweet.

Have a great weekend.