Christmas... on the last day of July!

August is but a quick turn around the corner...
That means (if your a crafter) it's CHRISTMAS TIME!
In the next week or so I'll start digging through and figuring what I have and what I need to start acquiring for Christmas projects.
This year my cards are looking to be a little more 'rounded' than they were last year. (Leave you puzzling on that one... *wink*)

Here's a sample of some of the sh-tuff I made last year...

Card #1:

This one was made using pre-folded, pre-printed card bases from The Paper Company, stamp set 'Santa Post' from Stampin'Up! on glossy paper. I stamped the entire 8 1/2' X 11' paper 1st, then cut into 8 pieces for the cards.

Card #2:

This one was a bit trickier... a 1st for me. Stamp set is 'Renaissance Angel' from Stampin'Up! The Angel is stamped in black, them embossed in silver on the BACK of overhead plastic. The silver behind the black gave it more of the feel of leading... Then coloured in with Sharpies. Next step was sandwiching the overhead between the card and a card-liner insert (also stamped) inside the front of the card itself. The result, though a lot of work, was sooo pretty... the picture really doesn't do it justice.

Card #3:

This was my favorite.

The paper is Deja Views Open Windows series in Holiday Joy (green) and The Paper Elements Fruits series in Cheery (red), yarn from my stash and Brads from Keepsake's Multicrafts home line. Stamp Sets 'All-Year Cheer 1' and 'Snowflakes' from Stampin'Up! Snowflake stamped with VersaMark and embossed in gold, it sort of 'floated' on the page. Again, the picture really doesn't do it justice.

This year I'm working on something a little different in regards to cards. If you already know... shhhh! I'm also altering a tonne of tins & boxes gathered over the summer. I've got my work cut out for me!

oh...

and...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Just for fun...

I'm blessed to have the best scrappin' subject out there... my 4 Boyz. Though there are days they run screaming from the 'Mommy Paparazzi', they do enjoy seeing themselves Scrapped.


Here are a couple of 'just for fun' Layouts:

Ma'Boyz:

I love how this one flowed together, the colors... the card stock...

I must say that the stitching was a real PITA, or more aptly finger. I broke my right index finger a few months ago, waited to see a dr (thought it was just a sprain) and it didn't set right. I'm to chicken to go in right now and have them re-break and set it again .*whimper* So I'm muddling through with the blessing of the all'hallowed Advil. The break does make some of the craftier things I do a bit more... trying. Stitching for example! lol.

The stickers had 'photo' brads and stitching. ennnnnnhhh... didn't look right, so I covered them in real brads and real stitching. Vellum quote, ChatterBox peel and stick corners and a sprinkle of rub-ons... voila!

The Kraft Dinner Kid:

Arthur... King of the Kitchen! Greg snapped these one day when he was wandering around adjusting the settings on the camera. Toooo hard to resist! I've had an 8 1/2" X 11" sheet of KD paper sitting around from the ancient of days when all scrappin' paper was 8 1/2" X 11"... a bygone era... lol. The stickers were from the $ store, but the pots were full of veggies so I picked them apart, 'drew' KD on some yellow card stock to refill the pots and reassembled them. Perfect. Simple... but more importantly Arthur LOVES it. 1st page he shows off when sharing the family book.

THAT is why I scrapbook. :-)

Scrappin' Your Faith... 1st attempt!

A few months back I got this really good book:
'Scrapbooking Your Faith; Layouts that celebrate your spiritual beliefs' By Courtney Walsh.

http://www.amazon.com/Scrapbooking-Your-Faith-Celebrate-Spiritual/dp/1599630028

It's well worth worth the thumb through. Some really inspiring layouts...

I'm hoping to do a few faith-based Layouts for my 'All About Me' Album, this is the first:

This is one of the reasons I blog, when I can, it's a great resource for journaling later. Get the memories and a few 'perhaps to be forgotten' tidbits down while the thoughts are still fresh... then you can go back to them later when your ready to scrapbook the day. I was uber lazy here and just printed verbatim what I had blogged...

Journaling:

Taken from my other Blog 'Lipstick on the Coffee Cup' http://craftymom.livejournal.com/

May 28th, 2008
Sanctuary...
"Today is Wednesday, my 'ritualistic' day of cleaning... because we host Kinship here Wednesday evening. Today I was feeling the need to do a little 'more' after being sick the past few weeks. I also found a FAB new (cheap!) cleanser that is just eating through some of the built up gunk the other one wasn't quite doing-it. As I was wiping down some of the walls, and noticing that I wasn't leaning over as far as I used to to reach all the little finger print smears *sigh*, I had a very vivid recollection of helping my Paternal Grandmother ready the wee little Anglican Church in Port Carling. Whenever we went up to visit the routine was set... right after dinner on Saturday evening, once the dishes were cleared away and cleaned... We grabbed some supplies and walked the 5 blocks down to the Church, My Grandmother & I. I've not thought about this in years... maybe the new cleaner's scent triggered something, I'm not entirely sure. Right now though, it's very clear in my Mind's Eye. It was always dusk but still light when we walked down. She'd go next door and get the Pastor (priest) to unlock the big carved double wooden doors. He'd bless her (so she could approach the front?) then leave us to do what needed doing. I remember walking in and always looking up first thing because there were bats... they gave me the creeps back then. I have 4 boys now so, now not so much. ;)We'd head up the main aisle to the front and Grandma would deal with the 'front stuff'; readying the alter, laying out linens, cups, the elements, refilling candle holders, putting out the flowers we had brought and any of a number of things needed for next mornings service. All a big mystery to me because I was never permitted beyond the kneeling rail. My job was the clean the sanctuary. Starting at the front and working my way back. I'd sweep, then mop the floor (bat dung... yick), wipe down all the pews with lemon oil (tiny church so that really wasn't that big a task) and then get all the pew books & bibles that were stacked in the cupboards and lay them out in the pews. It was quiet, steady, ritualistic work. We never talked, we just did what needed doing. It took a few hours. Once we were done the Pastor would come back bless us both and lock up. Then we went back home. It was always dark by then, my Grandmother brought a flashlight for us to see our way home. Her house was off the Main St. and therefore unlit by streetlights. We always chatted on the way home, but never about what we'd just done. I've not thought of this in yeeeears, but today I realized that 'ritual' is in affect, what I'm doing on Wednesday morning in my own home. Every Wednesday I clear my morning, start by the front door, sweep then mop... wipe down what I can of tables, mirrors, toilets, sinks and counters. Lay out a fresh tablecloth on the dining room table. Ready the coffeemaker and lay out corks, mugs and other coffee/tea essentials on the dining room table. If it's Eucharist day, like today, I pop up the little portable table and lay a cloth on it to. Then raid my collection of pottery wine cups and lay them out, find a jug for water and a lighter for the candle. It's quiet, steady, ritualistic work. Though not so much as it was when I was cleaning that old Church. If I don't finish before Thomas comes home from morning program it's not so quiet, sometimes I listen to music, sometimes I don't. I try to not answer the phone... but I do prefer to do it alone. I have system. The 'church' is different; no stain glass, no musty pew books, no bats (thank goodness), no old wooden pews worn by so many years of use... This living room 'sanctuary' has a tipping pile of toys in the corner, laptops on tables, the remains of breakfast scattered in the morning rush, a computer monitor on a desk lighting the corner, some shabby but comfy much 'boy-ed' couches, and the only 'wood' is the battered wicker-worked coffee table. Plus all the other detritus of a busy household complete with 4 boys, 2 adults, a dog and a bunny in residence the rest of the week...On Wednesday night though it is a Sanctuary. Far more humble than that great old Church Sanctuary steeped with years and years of spiritual presence... but I try my very best to ready it as best my abilities. Though it's not your average Sanctuary, for not your average church service... I'm glad to be given the honour of continuing in a line of service that has long been completed by other's in my family. I feel blessed being able to do this and I hope that what little I can do to prepare this 'sanctuary' in turn blesses those that worship in it."

Fun in the Sun...

As usual waaaay behind in scrapbooking 'event' pictures. I'm finally getting to some of the pictures we took at the end of last summer, trundling along with my youngest, Thomas, at Britannia Beach here in Ottawa...


What I love about this layout is that it was another 'stash' goodie, the paper was another 25 cent markdown grab. I also used a WHOLE pack of rub-ons I got on sale for $2 and 1 sticker (waves) off a $1 store sheet. And it looks great, the colors/styles all work... but most of all I LOVED being able to work around the 'words' on the pattern paper and incorporate them into the LO. It just flowed together. Easy-Peasy!

This layout was the last of the 10 I made this past weekend at a crop I attended. I wanted these pictures 'uncluttered' and I think the rest of the $1 store stickers were just enough. I think the pictures can speak for themselves. Oh, and I just LOVE this paper too. Love Love Love!

Finished working... for now.

I've finally finished up the 2 8 X 8 Disney Theme scrapbooks I was working on for a client.

YEAH!

I do love to scrapbook but making things for other people always takes a little something out of me, compared to working on my own sh-tuff which usually invigorates.

I've made very little progress on my own pages due to being ill, stress, time and working for others. I've also felt a bit of a 'plug' in my way. I think I finally figured out how to pull it though.

I made this:It's a key Layout in my 'All About Me' Album.

How do you scrapbook a life without covering a separation/divorce?

Simple, you can't.

It was hard to do, but it needed doing. Not to bad once I was going.

I have to thank Pattie over at: http://peppermintpages.blogspot.com/ for suggesting that I slice the certificate... the pages just weren't working with it dominating one side or the other. Pattie: I LOVE YOU!!! :) Once it was sliced the rest just fell into place.

I'm glad it's done, I'm glad I did it... yes, really I am. I'm pleased I was able to do it tastefully... but most of all I am happy to say the creative dam has been broken!

Page 1:

This is our engagement photo... we were so young!

Photo strip from the 1st year we were going out.

Flower sticker are leftovers from our wedding album.

Title: Broken Promises

Journaling:
Things change...

After 4 years of dating, we married... 1 day after our fourth anniversary...

We were very young.

10 years, 4 kids and a lot of 'living' later we separated...

Some things were just not meant to be.

Page 2:

These are (obviously) some of our wedding photos...

I also plan on wiring my engagement ring and wedding band over the marriage certificate on this page. That way they are there if any of our children want them they'll be there.

Journaling:

I, Jason take thee, Sarah to be my wedded wife,

to have and to hold from this day forward,

for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish, 'til death do us part,

according to God's holy ordinance;

thereto I plight thee my troth.

I, Sarah take thee, Jason to be my wedded husband,

to have and to hold from this day forward,

for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish, 'til death do us part,

according to God's holy ordinance;

thereto I plight thee my troth.