A card-a-day {#4}

Here is today's card. I turned this one on it's side and stitched some elastic cord through it so I could tuck the chipboard tag right in there. Through the holes on the tag is some beaded wire and on the back is a family photo that is a magnet. It is stuck on there with removable adhesive so that after Christmas the grandmas can add us to the fridge. I like all of the fun circles on here they made a good home for buttons attached with hemp cord and the red brads that come with the kit.- Mixed in with some nice shiny red puff paint circles. Thanks so much for all of the nice comments you have been leaving on these cards. I have to say I am not usually much of a card maker...not for a long time anyways. I started my scrappy journey as a stampin' up demonstrator so I think now I just rebel against the old days by not making them. But as I have already said these have proven to be so much fun that I will definitely be doing more...just for a small creative something.

note: this family pic is taken by my lovely friend Krista Domres.

stuff

First of all I want to say a big thank-you for all of the good book suggestions and conversation. I can't reply back to comments from this blog but please know that I really appreciate what you say and would respond if I could!

I think we will order a set of the Boxcar children books for Emy for Christmas. For now, Her and I just started Heidi . And her choice from the book order this month was Sarah Plain and Tall ... hopefully it is another good one. I am going to head over to the book exchange later this week and look for a few of the others you guys have suggested for us. THANK-YOU!

We had a great weekend. The time as a family is always precious. We went over to Cam's parents place for supper on Friday and the bigger two girls stayed for a sleepover and some time with Nanny and Gigi. Not for any reason other than that they love it and so do their grandparents :)

Saturday I picked up some goodies from Home Depot and the art store, I am excited to play with it all- some new big sheets of watercolor paper, a pack of cheese cloth, some fresh rolls of duck tape and a new tub of gesso. Also grabbed a can of chalk board paint to paint the back of this big dresser we use as a divider between the family room and playroom. The kids have all been so so much into art these days and chalking on lots of black construction paper so I thought this could be really fun for them. Tiara and I got into the new packs of watercolor paper and painted for awhile today it was so much fun just to create and play together for the fun of enjoying time in the afternoon. My card-a-day will have to wait tomorrow - I am heading out on a field trip with Tia to the Fire Hall. But I will put up another one on Wed.

We baked Cam his favorite apple pie on Friday. It even got a pumpkin face :)

Baking with the kids is THE best. They are so funny...each cup and tsp. is exciting to pour in and mix. I loved it so much as a little girl and I remember clearly how enjoyable those times were. My mom recently brought over my little aprons and I t was really fun to see how well worn they were. Lots of good memories. Now as I get to create those memories with my own girls I understand that it is just as much fun being the big person :)

And it was not only at the stores that I found some treasures check out this trash-to-treasure find!!! A super rad super solid wood desk we found with a Free sign on it at the end of a driveway in the country!!! the drawers are all big enough for 12x12 papers and even has one deep drawer with dividers. I think I Will paint it RED! The desk rawks, I can bang and paint and craft all over it and the price was right...I vote this my happy find of the month!

a card-a-day {#3}

I took a break to enjoy family time this weekend; that is what I love most about the end of a week... but the new week has begun and I am back at it :) Thanks so much for all of the nice comments on my cards so far, Becky's kit makes it easy to come up with cute stuff! I really ventured away from the original design on this card and did a little bit of dissecting LOL . Sometimes I just enjoy cutting stuff up and turning it around to make it into something new. For this one I cut out the word strips to make a "tree". I tore off the end piece for a bit of a layered torn textury end. Then crinkled/folded two of the enclosed blue strips over the one printed on the front of the card and coiled some wire around it. Simple but happy and fun :)

A card-a-day {#2}

here is my day #2 card, lots of fun to play with on here. I added brads to the cute strip of circles along the bottom, and silver glitter to the tiny dots on the background. I'm Loving all of the transparent pieces Becky has in this kit, so I painted a red stroke behind this one to make the words pop. And then made it literally "pop" by mounting the buttons holding the square onto some foam squares. A bit of cardboard paper and hand stitching and voila! done.

It is fun and refreshing to do a little something every day that requires less thought and much less time than a whole layout. I can't wait to make some hot chocolate, turn on my Amy Grant Christmas CD and make tomorrow's card :)

A card-a-day {#1}

Somehow it is already that time of year- There is a tell tale chill in the air, you can "smell" winter coming, the leaves have let go of their branches and that means it is time to start thinking about Christmas plans, wish lists and Christmas cards! ( already?! I know , I know, I am not quite ready either, but I guess I never really am)

Getting in the mood pretty quickly though thanks to good inspiration! I am really excited to have the chance to play with my friend Becky Higgins' CK Kit of the Month for November; it is an ultra cute Christmas card kit with plenty of extras. An amazing value! check out her details here.

Creating makes me happy and Christmas time makes me even happier so I thought it might be fun to make a card a day for a bit! Here is our Christmas card from last year, and the little ones the kids gave their friends as well as one I made for some good friends of ours. I think this year I will do cards from Becky's kit especially since they come with such adorable envelopes! ( I will show you those another day) I love the colors she chose; adding a touch of pink to Christmas is always a good thing IMO :) The designs are super fun too; finished enough to make these so quick and easy to do and yet plenty of room to have freedom to play. Of course if given the option I always chose to play hee hee- So for this first card I added some finds I had around the house- A torn cardboard paper circle, touches of black pen, stitching, floss knot tree ornaments with a bling star to top it off just right. Some jute twine, and a bit of puff paint and glitter glue.

Hope I've got your creative wheels turning!

See you tomorrow ;)

call me Strawberrry Mirage...

thanks to my friend The red cosmo AKA: rawkin-A.
This made me laugh so hard I had to take a break and play along

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
-Shalom Van ( maybe more Jazz singer???)
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
-Chocolate Sugar ( pronounced "sugah" ;)
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) - C- Muc
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
-Red Cat ( totally)
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
-Theresa Winnipeg ( I don't think "winnipeg" belongs in any soap opera name LOL)
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) -Mucch
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
-The Blue Smoothie ( oh yeeeah cuz I'm so smoooooth! ROFL)
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
-Renee Clarance
9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)
-Strawberry Mirage (HA!)
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names )
-Loretta Christopher
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
-Wallace Windsor
12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
-Christmas Daisy
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
-Pineapple hoodie
14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
-Oatmeal Oak ( ooohh totally organic sounding)
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)
-The painted rain Tour ( RAWK on!!!)

OK make me laugh ..... copy, paste, and join in the fun !!!! you've got to Throw me a link so that I can enjoy your alter egos :P

all kinds of book talk

I have totally loved the last three books that Emy and I have read together. She is in grade three but is reading at a grade 5-6 level at least; so she can read for hours on her own and do just fine. But still I really enjoy our time each night reading together. The time with her; the quiet cuddle time with no sisters in sight just us, and truth is I honestly really do enjoy these books myself! Reading out loud making all the different accents and voices, and together looking forward to what will unfold in our adventure tomorrow night. Deeelightful!

We are fairly picky with what goes in for our little people I have to say. You know the saying "garbage in garbage out" so we try to steer pretty clear of garbage and put in lots of good stuff for our girls. Now that her reading has moved beyond the younger stories it is a little bit harder to find good books that will challenge her reading and keep her mind occupied and entertained, while at the same time NOT being too old for her sweet 8 1/2 year old self, or containing "stuff" we wouldn't want her to read right now. Kind of like finding size 12 clothes that are still appropriate and "little girl" enough for an innocent little sweetheart in grade three, a challenge at times too I have to say.

Anyways , I am always up for book recommendations and so I thought some of you out here may be too. I am so so impressed with these three. they were each quite different but all good to the last page.

From the mixed up files of Mrs. Basil.E.Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

It is a great story of adventure and self discovery. And since the kids in the story are around her age Emy found it really fun to try and relate to them. As a bonus there is some cool learning about art history hidden in here as these two siblings hide out at the metropolitan museum of art in Manhattan in the 60s.

The tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

I never imagined a story about a mouse could be so entertaining ( but then again I was very skeptical of cartoons about Fish and cars LOL and they turned out to be great movies) This book made me excited to read more and want to keep reading even when it was well past bedtime and our time was up. Such adventure and a really cool perspective through the eyes of the different characters who make up the story. A Heartwarming tale about the strength of this little mouse who is too small and his ears are too big and in every way he doesn't fit in. It will give courage to any kid who has ever felt like that little mouse.

and Because of Winn-Dixie also by Kate.DiCamillo ( I really like her books!)

This book just comes alive with all of it's amusing characters. The story is made up of "outsiders" who all have wonderful stories to tell and lessons to teach....we really loved it.

note: I picked up the fairly recent movie because the book was so good, but it just doesn't compare, go for the book instead!

I was going to talk only about Emy's books but since I am talking books tonight, I have to say that the animal ark series has been really perfect for Tiara. We are on our third adventure with Mandy and James who are always saving an animal in trouble and Tiara who is a total animal lover, loves every minute of them. We are using our current "Beagle in a backpack" as a reward for getting dressed in the morning and getting to school smoothly because things were pretty rocky for awhile. She is such a determined little person that having something to work for is always good motivation to push past the troubles that may come for her. So she gets a whole chapter with me at night if all goes well and when things get tough we take away only one page at a time so she still has something to work for through the day. It is really helping. I had read "children are from heaven" by Dr John Grey when Emy was a toddler- and many times since. It is a wonderful book on positive parenting and I would highly recommend it to anyone with kids. He talks about rewarding them for what they do right instead of focusing on punishing what they do wrong, since kids really do want to please their parents. I love the idea of rewarding them with my time it is the most precious thing I can give them.

And since I have covered what the kids are reading I may as well share what I have been getting into lately. This past spring/summer I read The Alchemist three times ( yes liked it that much :) I got something different from it each time too just depending where I was at, The whole sisterhood of the travelling pants series- I had never read these when I was younger and always wanted to, it was fun and entertaining I listened to this one unabridged on audio book while I did the album track for CKU Nashville. It was nice to keep my mind busy for all of those hours, I do that often.

I read the time travellers wife- no comment really, it is what it is. well written and kept me reading but surprising at times and a bit too much for me. Not one I need to read again. I Finished Anne of Green Gables -I was such a fan growing up...still am, but it had been a long time and I wanted to read it again myself before reading it with Emy, just to be sure it was appropriate. mmmmmm that wonderfully imaginative Anne-girl inspires me LOL she reminds me of myself in many ways, needless to say I Loved it all over again! I jut finished a few books by Max Lucado He is such a wonderful writer and I always love his written perspective for both children and adults. It makes me think, makes me smile and makes me breathe a little bit deeper. And that brings us to right now; I have a few of Jeffrey Gittomer's books on the go in the van for school pick up days; He is great and the books are easy to read, I quite enjoy his writing, getting a lot from it. And Last but most definitely not least I am reading Ali's new Life artist book...so far I would say it is a must have for any scrapbooker at any level, her best book so far. She has written all good books but this one just has that extra heart and it strikes a chord with me, inspires me, beyond just scrapbooking.

So that is my book blabber for tonight, happy reading :)

Bonjour!

mmmmm, It is good to be back

I arrived home from France just in time for Turkey dinner with my sweet family.

Happy Thanksgiving to all you Canadians out there!

( and very early wishes to those who are not in Canada and will celebrate later)

I hope you feel that you have plenty to be Thankful for :)

We sure do, more Blessings than We can count.

Not because we never have troubles or challenges but because we choose to see the blessings and beauty that surround us.

I left home on September 27th to teach 4 new classes at the Paper and co show in Versailles France. 2 traditional books, one digi and one hybrid album.

I went armed with a few photos of the "fake" Eiffel tower that I took in Las Vegas and thought I would have the chance to blog on the go and let everyone know where I was off to. Well... Internet ended up being fairly hard to come by, even once my new friend Lydia from Luxembourg lent me her plug adapter. I had bought one that was supposed to be for Europe but it didn't fit the sockets there, and I couldn't even make my phone card work to call home and talk to my little angels LOL! So other than feeling a bit displaced or shall I say "disconnected"; the experience was amazing. My classes were incredible; all of these women in one room from all over ( France, Italy, Norway, Spain, Belgium, Australia, Scotland, Luxembourg, the UK and even more) and we were all connected by something that truly needed no translator. A real love for art and for our memories and our families. I really enjoyed the artsy-ness of this crowd they were not afraid for one second to just go for it and slap that paint on or try new things, and the digi and hybrid classes too were so bold and excited to really go for it and do something new with the computer.

Rawk on my new European friends!!!

I was so so lucky to be able to take this trip with my good friend Krista. She was a fabulous assistant helping me lug that heavy pink suitcase of class supplies along the cobblestone each day, helping IN my classes and packing kits with me behind the scenes. She also took some fun pictures of me like the one up above which was so nice since it is usually me behind the camera.

When the event was over we went on to tour Paris for a few days. It was cool but I enjoyed the colorful Old beauty of Versailles even more. I will get a photo album or a slide show loaded up pretty soon. It was a trip I will never forget. Thank-you PACS and thanks Krista for an amazing super fun adventure!