Cutting Edge Studio

sympathy cards

2012-01-08T15:18:00.000-05:00

I am replenishing my collection of cards, with sympathy cards, thank you notes, and all the basics I will need this year. These 4 cards were made this afternoon using supplies on hand. I never tire of this combination of shades, in particular, of soft greyish blues and smokey purple. Of note is the flocked lavender transparent paper. It seemed to soften the look of this gentle card.

Cross Stitching

2011-12-29T14:38:00.000-05:00

I was inspired by Jeannette Lyntons blog to make 6 of these thank you notes during some rare "free time" yesterday afternoon. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tW1Vvz56A9w/TueryOMS6rI/AAAAAAAAFQU/i4ul2HoRCtE/s1600/WOW_26-Dec_Card-2.jpg

The plain blue paper was sprayed with brown ink and stamped with a script verse in dark green. The clear floral buttons were laid over coloured paper to match the border of the square. I kind of like the funky kraft paper look with vibrant reds , browns, greens and yellows.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-11T21:46:00.000-05:00

I really had fun doing 10 of these cards using prefolded kraft paper cards and matching envelopes by Close to My Heart. You cant see it in the photo, but there is a flap under the bottom of this card that is scallop edged and which folds up over the bottom edge of the card when closed. It helps the card stand upright better with a top fold . The paper is Elemental.

Serenity Butterflies

2011-12-01T21:08:00.000-05:00

I had so much fun stamping the cardstock for the background on this card, and then creating the banner ribbons in beautiful matching papers with a vintage feel.

Eight of these were for my friend Bev, but I kept two for myself since they are so lovely.

Southampton

2011-11-05T08:44:00.000-04:00

Southampton is a nice quiet village on the northwest coast of Lake Huron. Rick and I booked a bed and breakfast weekend with the intent to lay on the beach, golf, shop and bike for 2 days. Little did we know that an F3 tornado was on its way an hour to the south. Foregoing the beach, we managed to keep ourselves entertained between heavy rain downpour nonetheless. We particularly enjoyed biking around the little streets by the beach. The homes in Southampton are
picturesque beyond description. We also had a wonderful ride through the Lakeshore Trail at McGregor Point Provincial Park.
Southampton features many antique heritage homes so naturally I used a vintage theme for this layout. I had gorgeous sheet of ephemera paper with bicycles, umbrellas and wardrobes that fit the bill perfectly. My colour theme was rich browns, rose and buttercup. I love the faint handwriting on the You and Me Close to my Heart papers; and a detail shot shows me using yet another Milepost corrugated shape for the ampersand . ("and" symbol)
I dont know if you can see the detail unless you click on the photo to enlarge, but there are some pennant shapes with tiny mocha opaque adhesive pearl gems that came with me You and Me Kit in July.
Believe me these kits are a value , I got a stamp set, ribbon, the gems, chipboard, and the papers with instructions for 4 layouts. Hello? I always purchase the kits on special.

Bliss on Dalrymple Beach

2011-10-29T08:42:00.000-04:00

I keep saying, this summer was the best one that I can remember since childhood. Clear blue sunny skies and very little rain. There were no "indoor" days whatsoever other than the weekend of the tornado in August. In June, I had decided to plan some new units of study on rainy days and had lugged home all the curriculum documents and teaching guides. In fact, by the time school was starting, I had not cracked a book - nor had I gone to the school at at the week prior to .Labour Day. The weather was simply too nice for me to be inside. Of course I managed nicely but paid the price the first 3 weeks of September with 3 hours work at home per night. It was sooo worth it.

Dalrymple Beach is about a 20 minute bicycle ride from my home, on Lakeshore Road near Camlachie. It is very seldom used by a handful of people so very tranquil.
The beach itself is wide and open, with a very shallow gradually sloping sandy access to Lake Huron that makes the water warm . I find it similar to the beaches at the Pinery so I go there when I want to be in nature and experience solace.
Rick and I spent a few quiet hours in the afternoon in August soaking up some bliss together under crystal clear blue skies next to the waving beach grasses. I like the photo of our feet and of the big piece of driftwood.
You can see a few of the corrugated chipboard milepost shapes incorporated. I also had fun playing with one of my new stamp sets, Vintage Type.
It is found on page 18 here:
http://www.closetomyheart.com/en/Products/Online_Idea_Book.aspx

Relax

2011-10-27T22:43:00.000-04:00

Time to Relax

and be leisurely in the summer , in our amazing pool

the weather was perfect this year, with only 2 days of rain

the kids and i made the most of it and enjoyed the crystal

clear waters of our backyard pool

i used 4x4 squares in this design

with an emphasis on black and grey papers

the photos are dazzling enough on their own!

Daylilies in June

2011-10-24T21:02:00.000-04:00

Because I took so many flower photos, I had all of these gorgeous blooming daylilies and wanted to showcase them in a unique way. Inspired by Ali Edwards monthly layout design , via my ambitiously scrapping friend Julia, who takes a photo of her son each month and has them all in sequence.

I had actually seven different daylilies blooming in June, but did not have a photo of the yellow ones to add to this layout. I used irresistible make it count numbers by Close to My Heart, which I inked in 3 different colours: vineyard berry, desert sand, and twilight. I used a sponge dauber to apply the ink lightly.
I then journalled across the top of each background paper.
"Daylilies bloomed in profusion . They are the first to bloom, colourful and vigourous".

October Chalet Crop

2011-10-23T21:24:00.000-04:00

I spent the weekend scrapbooking with 3 wonderful ladies . I am blessed to have a generous sister in law who invites me to share in this event each year at her chalet near Talisman resort. Our mutual friend Julia is a great inspiration and muse, our own version of Ali Edwards. Her influence can be seen in the first layout, SPRING . Blocked photos and paper strips ; opposing rounded tops and bottom edges; handwritten journalling.
"My garden is my joy. Every detail entices me."
There is a visual pun in the layout : Look closely and you can see some hardware "springs" on vellum paper next to the barn board and yellow print papers. thanks Leslie D for the ephemera books.

Life's good

2011-10-09T20:59:00.000-04:00

I really like this stamp set! VERY versatile.

There are 6 of these cards altogether, which I made as a gift for a special friend who moonlights as a guardian angel.

The Graduate

2011-09-02T00:50:00.001-04:00

Just another take on graduation, with a report card file folder/ antique ephemera / notebook paper theme going on. The shots are of my son receiving his diploma with a very special teacher, Mr Billy Reid, of St Christophers CSS. Mr Reid was always encouraging , and willing to be an example of spirituality, health, and positive focus to all of us.
Colton just found out that he was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Aiming for the Top scholarship worth $3500 each year for 4 years . It was created to ensure that hard working students who earn top marks at Ontario High Schools receive special recognition and support. He was selected as one of the top students at his high school and I am proud of him.

Wings Serenity

2011-08-23T23:25:00.000-04:00

Butterflies have been a long time favorite symbol of mine.
The wings paper goes well with the Serenity Prayer.
I got the tiny white flowers from Amy L when she was clearing out
her wedding stationary inventory online on Facebook last week.
I will be making a set of 20 cards for Bev T. with these papers. This is the first
batch of 4 cards.

Cap and Gown

2011-08-22T16:50:00.000-04:00

Grad pics are a lot of fun to scrapbook because they are such a happy occasion. I left room for a picture and some journalling to be added. This is my usual inneffective tactic of, get the page done now/ journal later strategy. I better write something down soon before my mind loses its memory of that day!! Summer seems to be keeping me outside almost every day.

Colton heads off to university in 3 weeks. He will be missed!

Deal of the Decade

2011-08-17T13:24:00.000-04:00

When you buy the new Art Philosophy Cricut cartride for 109$ you receive

700 shapes, a font, and 3D elements including flowers and boxes ;

3 coordinating stamp sets and 3 sheets chipboard dimensional elements:

already a huge value of over $140 in products.

Because you spent over $85 you also get the Pair a Phrase Stamp Set: a DOUBLE

set of coordinating stamps!! FREE!

Plus because you spent over $55 you can get the August Stamp of the month WICKED

for just $5.50... and that qualifies you to get the Typeface font FREE!!!

Deal of the decade, as far as i am concerned.

Drop me an email to order or call to book your party!

you live, you learn

2011-07-10T22:37:00.001-04:00

the words to this layout title are from a song by Alannis Morissette that reflect the poignancy of both good times and bad in our life voyage of growth .

you live you learn

you love you learn
you cry you learn
you lose you learn
you bleed you learn
you scream you learn

you grieve you learn

you choke you learn
you laugh you learn
you choose you learn
you pray you learn
you ask you learn
pretty succint, huh?
i topped the photos with cricut lettering for the word YOU on gypsy purple and used my stamps to dress up the plain cardstock. I like the flow of the font on the bottom .

Prom May 2011

2011-07-07T08:06:00.001-04:00

More of my son Colton's prom layouts. Formal themes like proms and weddings call for simplicity and in many cases use larger pictures so one or 2 photos per page is enough. I stuck with black and white and gypsy purple and amethyst cardstock throughout the layouts for consistency. Placing the photos first that I wanted over two 12 x12 white pages, I came up with ideas. The larger picture simply called for a double matt and mount on the background. Flourishes finish it nicely and the amount of white space makes the photo even more dazzling. When photos have to be cropped square, then square shapes become part of the layout design. Here, in the second layout, I created square boxes in amethyst the same size as the photos and matted all of the pieces onto a large square to get this look. The empty spaces will be used for journalling using a calligrapy pen. Flourishes were stamped into the corners.

Prom : Hope you had the Time of your Life!

2011-06-13T16:15:00.001-04:00

My youngest son's prom was in May, and I have over 70 photos... not that I will scrap that many, but there were a lot of different friends and teams to take pictures of at the pre prom parties.

We started out here with his date, for a few shots, and then moved on to the Brennans (one of his closest friends who lives 2 blocks away) for a bit larger of a group, and then on to Camlachie on the lake for the big pre prom party with 20 guys and 20 gals taking part.

Colton chose light purple for his vest and tie to accent his dates dress, so my layouts are elegant black and white and lilac, just like his tux. I am not embellishing with any florals or girlie things, just a simple black swirl here and there with lots of negative white space for the background. I put together the first 4 pages at the Scrapbook for Japan in the Grove event this weekend. Thank you Robin A for the use of your Cricut machine! I like the trapezoid shaped lettering.

Fathers Day Card

2011-06-12T21:46:00.001-04:00

Eight of us made these this past Saturday at an event some girlguide leaders organised, Scrapping for Japan in the Grove. I love the way they turned out! We used Stazon to stamp the fleur de lis on the clear button!!

The card base is a basic 6x12 scored at 2, 4, 8 and 10 inches.

Hope for Japan. Beautiful idea.

2011-03-28T16:34:00.001-04:00

Hope for Japan. What a great stamp set fo $5.00.

All proceeds go directly to the Red Cross Japan relief fund.

ART 2010

2011-01-19T20:18:00.001-05:00

This 2 page layout is a showcase for my best art from the fall, which I photographed. I took a watercolour class with Kathy Rath while recovering from hip surgery. Having the time off work gave me the opportunity to finish an unfinished portrait my dad had sketched of my neice Natasha. It fell into place very quickly, almost by divine intervention. I felt almost equally as inspired painting the portrait of John Lennon. My confidence with paints is coming along , and I am proud of my art. Sorry for some reason I could not get the first page to post straight up and down... having attempted twice I decided to post sideways with an apology. Its a shame.

december 25: time for each other

2011-01-04T18:33:00.001-05:00

Getting Christmas Day scrapbooked was so satisfying. This year, with a 19 year old and a 17 year old, we waited until 4 pm to take pictures and thereby had the opportunity for several poses from the two, who due to age and other lifestyle choices are not good for photos in the morning , or while opening gifts. So this year I just put the camera away, and enjoyed WATCHING them open gifts, and it was really great not to have to document the event, but to be in the event.

I got these papers from Basic Grey, Jovial, at Lasting Impressions. The neat thing about the papers, was that I fell in love with them a few months ago while browsing the Basic Grey papers online. The Jovial papers had just the nicest blend of vivid Christmas elements. So I was happy to match the cardstock stickers and papers with my photos.

As you can see, I left a nice spot for the journalling... the J word, as the ladies at Lasting Impressions referred to it. Being concise and evoking memories... not a simple task! what I usually do is pen a few sentences on a rough draft and then carefully edit and copy down... its a good idea in my case to do this sooner rather than later so that the memory doesnt fade!

I can describe our day :

11 am. breakfast: peameal bacon and eggs with waffles

12 am. opening stockings and gifts : I got a Susan Boyle CD, scented home and bath and beauty products, earrings, La Senza goodies, and a long awaited Latte machine

I gave the kids some gifts to unwrap, and also some cash rolled up with tissue paper and tinsel and stuffed into mini gift bags and mini stockings and hung on the tree

1 pm. movies on TV

4 pm . photo shoot

6 pm. turkey dinner with all the fixings

7 pm. watching a movie

9 pm. walking the dogs

10 pm. to bed for the grown ups

Time for Each Other... December 25... how fast it goes!

Kerlovich Family Christmas

2011-01-02T21:34:00.000-05:00

We hosted our family Christmas on December 19. It was a good excuse for me to tidy up and decorate the basement rooms. Attacking the cobwebs with my new Dyson attachment was as fulfilling as hanging the lights and garlands . Blue LED light branches were the big hit amidst the more usual odds and ends in my Christmas array. Most of my family has to drive a good distance in order to visit so it is a treat when we can all be together at the same time. I had my crafting tables set up as a bar and snack area and made large 2 stars out of ice and sprigs as well as a shrimp tree which proved to be impressive for those who had not seen it before! Bobs cheese star was certainly a unique and artistic touch. The theme for this years Family Christmas was performance! Those of us who were able to contributed by reciting poetry, singing, doing magic tricks, doing a short skit, or playing a musical instrument. It proved to be an enjoyable afternoon and the meal was a hit too.
So I cant wait for next year!
As for the layout, with 20 people in my home, I had over 2 dozen photos printed to feature on this 2 page layout. I printed most of them wallet size (2x3) to cram them onto the page. I was overwhelmed by the number of pictures I wanted to include to tell the story, but quickly became ruthless in order to get on with the actual layout.
If I was better at digital layouts I might have found a better solution. I used a group picture as a large focal point, and selected what I could out of the rest. I used papers purchased on sale at the Town Scrapper and some gold metallic paper. I will journal this week by hand.

Snow Day

2010-12-31T00:31:00.000-05:00

December 13, a huge snow storm hit Ontario, forcing the 402 and all eastbound roads from Sarnia to London to close due to white outs caused by high winds and heavy snow fall. Over 300 vehicles were stranded , and 100s of people took shelter in nearby Wyoming and Petrolia where I work. Helicopters lifted stranded people to buses where they were taken to safety while the entire community east of Sarnia shut down for 3 days. I have pictures of rescue workers taken in Wyoming that tell the story of the severity of the storm. It was a harrowing experience to be so close to, and our communitites rallied to help those trapped in their cars for over 24 hours .

Blankets food, and toiletries were brought to shelters and snowmobilers assisted wherever possible in conveying people to safety.

For my snow layout, I used the papers and kit designed by Cathy Smith at Lasting Impressions. I really enjoyed adding the gathered ribbon to the layout and will stitch it down tomorrow. The journalling will come later. I also stamped some snowy swirls on the borders of the pattern paper, and then added smooching paint in electric blue (it is a type of liquid pearlescent ink with an applicator like the one in liquid eyeliner) and also some stickles in light blue. You can add detail work with the smooch applicator nicely and also use it right on your stamps!

The photo of the house was taken 9 am the morning of the storm. The other pictures were taken the following day, aas schools were closed for 3 days. The effects on nature afterward were incredibly beautiful. The sun was bright and the sky was blue after the storm, and the branches looked like they were dipped in cotton balls.

It was an opportunity for me at home to scrap and indulge in some baking with my son. We also played Scrabble with his girlfriend Carolyn one afternoon. I am grateful I had him with me, to help shovel, and to keep me company.

New Years Crop : Lasting Impressions

2010-12-31T00:24:00.000-05:00

A big thank you to Cathy at Lasting Impressions for organising a super New Years crop. We had pot luck snacks including bacon wrapped water chestnuts and red velvet cupcakes! Plus Cathy did a photo shoot on site with props she donated and printed photos for us to create a bonus layout of our evening. I completed three 2 page layouts including a Snow Day layout with BoBunny papers that Cathy designed for us.

Happy New Year !

2010-12-28T14:05:00.000-05:00

Today I am all alone in the house. Chloe is in Toronto heading to Ocho Rios Jamaica and Colton is at the World Junior hockey games in Buffalo New York. I have all my housework done and some leftovers ready to warm up, so an afternoon in the Studio is in the works!

I am also excited to be heading to New Years crop on the 30th with my dear friend Peggy N at Lasting Impressions to make 2 layouts... so look for more posts very soon!

I created 6 Serenity cards with an elegant touch of ribbon make a lovely gift. I had fun doing up little bundles of these cards for the special ladies in my life. More than ever, I appreciate that Life is a Gift... and wish every one a very Happy New Year ! All the best in life . xo Stephanie

Merry Christmas 2010!

2010-12-24T11:10:00.001-05:00

finally I can reveal : my Christmas card for 2010!

It measures over 5x7 .

It was inspired by Lorrinda Holman on Big Red Scraps!

I wasnt sure if I like the polar bear or the 2 deer better, so I made several of each.

I was very pleased with it, in particular enjoyed creating Northern Lights

on 25 cards !

there are 3 kinds of embossing on this card.

Can you spot/name all 3?

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Summer Layout

2010-10-30T15:54:00.001-04:00

Very bright, very clean, and simple... a happy layout, to celebrate our family get together this summer with my brother and my cousin and our families! I got some great photos of the kids in front of the house. I think the colours pop out on the all white background!

All Star Layout

2010-10-26T22:39:00.000-04:00

My son has played competitive hockey for 11 years. One of the highlights of his high school hockey was being selected to play on the all star team. Players were chosen from 7 high schools to represent the LSSAA all stars. He had many good friends from several high schools that he had met throughout the years play in this game which was also televised. Colton as goaltender played half the game, and his team won. It sounds cliched but every player there was already a winner so the win was just for fun . The spirit of sportsmanship was much more important to every young man who participated, as evidenced by the smiles and handshakes all around.

I used a wonderful print paper on the right hand side of the layout which I "matched" using CTMH dotted background paper, Lagoon and Moonstruck cardstock gave me some deep blue colour as well.

I incorporated 3 flip flaps into the layout, so I could add the article from Sarnia Sports about the game and the list of players, as well as a few extra photos. Handy... I didnt have to cram everything onto the base of the page and could showcase the photo of my son on the right hand side.

I am showing you 3 photos of page one, with flip flips closed and open on the vertical and horizontal photos.

Viva la Vida!

2010-10-25T20:33:00.001-04:00

I worked on this layout over the past weekend at the chalet retreat. The pictures are from our trip this past March to Mexico, and I had already scrapped most of the book. There were just 2 more to do to finish the album but for some reason I put it off .

I wanted to use the colour red as a background and make it really vibrant. Papers are from Moon Doggie (ctmh)The layout is taken from Magic , also ctmh, and is called Backstage. I used a chipboard dimensional circle element to set off the circle. There are tiny adhesive twill fabric squares that I stamped , underneath the OLE letters on the right. Lots of brads and chipboard circles for texture. Best of all, I got ALL the journalling written into the album this weekend . Phew. I am very pleased with how it turned out!! Hope you like!

Pure Love

2010-10-23T20:07:00.000-04:00

This is page two along with Umbrella in the Rain (previous post)

The three of us (Julia H, Bernie T, and moi ) are having our fifth fall
scrapbooking retreat at Bernadette's chalet by Talisman.
Bernie is all digital. She tried teaching me a bit about creating photoshop layouts and gave me some pages and such. Hm. Not the easiest, simplest thing I have ever worked on .
I was right back to the paper after doing one page.
But you never know... LOL

Umbrella in the Rain .

2010-10-23T20:02:00.000-04:00

Umbrella in the Rain...

Chloe looks so parisienne in her knee socks and beret under the umbrella.

This photo was taken as she was coming to work, and was posted on Facebook!

I used Julia's punch for the notebook edge on all the papers. Such a nice antique effect!

papers:

Game On , cranberry CS

Tiny Typewriter alphabet by CTMH

Circle of Life

2010-10-05T19:18:00.001-04:00

This stamp is so much fun to work with because of all the detail!

First I stamped in Versamark and heat embossed using silver embossing powder.

Once it was set, I dipped my waterbrush into twilight, purple pansy, indian corn blue and clover meadow to highlight the peacock feathers and plumes.

I added sparkles to the head feathers.

I mounted the image on papers from the Magnifique Collection, using the new colour Lagoon for cardstock.

All materials are Close to my Heart.

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

2010-10-04T15:39:00.001-04:00

Two great cards, made with a really versatile inspirational stamp set entitled, the Present~!

I used Olivia papers , so pretty for fall, and added grosgrain and organdy ribbons, and a bracket stamped on barn red cardstock with a teeeny brad.

Serenity with Olivia

2010-09-30T15:14:00.000-04:00

The last of the series of 5 Serenity Prayer Cards.
The Olivia paper needs little embellishment ...

so I kept these simple.

Four Great Floral Cards

2010-09-30T15:08:00.001-04:00

I went to Marian Dunn's card class last night with good friend Jen R and new friend Julie S.

We enjoyed passing the baskets with all the pre-trimmed materials for cards inside and working at our own speed.

Most instructional card for me was the one with the 3 ribbon flowers.

I would not likely have attempted to do this at home.

We stitched along one length of the ribbon with a darning needle, gathered the ribbon,

tied tightly and voila! I have so many ribbon scraps this technique will be used on.

2010-09-30T14:59:00.001-04:00

Serenity with Perfect Day

2010-09-27T09:23:00.000-04:00

I used a vertical layout from Originals called First Impression for the fourth Serenity Prayer Card. Papers are Perfect Day by Close to my Heart (sorbet, juniper, tulip) It has a very dainty feel to it.

Have been busy pricing and packing for the Scrapbook Sale at Lambton College.

Hope to see lots of folks , tomorrow night .

We will be rolling in paper roses!!

Serenity with Miracle

2010-09-26T17:29:00.000-04:00

Third in a series of five.
Another versatile paper kit that works great with the Serenity Prayer, because it is sweet and humble. I will be giving away a Miracle Kit at the Lambton College Foundation trade show on Sept 28!
also by ctmh: ricrac ribbon, sparkles
Originals Card Pattern: Overview

Serenity with Felicity

2010-09-25T23:21:00.000-04:00

Second in a series of 5. The colours in this Felicity paper kit are soft, delicate and prayerful.

This was a Mojo Monday archived sketch.

Today was a day of celebration for Al Anon Sarnia . We attended the anniversary celebration and my good friends mother, Bev T gave her wonderful AA talk. I have the honour of making all these cards for Bev T, who has helped so many people recover, in her work as executive director at Westover, and at St Stephens hospice in London. Its inspiring to hear how others cope with challenges beyond anything I ever had to deal with. I am praying for the right attitude, and the willingness to surrender my willpower . It has gotten me into some tight spots, you see.

Live Inspired ... Dream

2010-09-22T16:09:00.000-04:00

Here is my Mojo Monday entry for September 20, Mojo 157 as pictured in the sketch.

here is the link to the rest of the cards :

http://mojomonday.blogspot.com/2010/09/mojo-monday-157.html

Live Inspired:

I think thats an important message, for those of us who work outside the home and get caught up in kids, responsibilities, housework, and the rest...

Life is a gift and we can show our gratitude by living with love and zest.

papers: Olivia by Close to my Heart

Acrylic Stamp: Live Inspired

waxy flax, craft buttons, ribbon, twill adhesive fabric

Paper Rose Tag

2010-09-22T14:29:00.000-04:00

This is the tag I will do as a make and take demo at the Lambton College Marketplace Sept 28.

I will show the ladies how to roll a paper rose from a 2 inch square in 60 seconds... time me! lol

There is a secret shortcut...

papers are Olivia by CTMH

Thank you with Felicity

2010-09-18T16:07:00.001-04:00

First day of Fall and I have 8000 visitors. Nice~!

The Felicity kit came with 4 large 12 inch die cut doilies with a lovely floral design.
I discovered that they fit nicely on card fronts when cut into quarters.

I think these diecuts make beautiful cards!!

Papers: Felicity (January Heart of Winter 2010)

Acrylic Stamps: Felicity, Gracious Greetings

Chocolate organza ribbon, buttons

God give me the Serenity

2010-09-18T15:59:00.000-04:00

...to accept the things I cannot change;

The courage to change the things I can;

And the wisdom to know the difference.

This is first in a series of 4 different cards made as a gift for Bev T, who helps people in recovery.

And since I am in recovery from surgery, I have time to make her a couple dozen in 5 different designs.

Papers: Veranda (Close to my Heart)

Magnifigue is Clearly Elegant

2010-09-16T20:20:00.000-04:00

This card was made for the wonderful staff of Hillcrest school to thank them for a lovely floral bouquet. It brightened my world!

Tracey Mason can take credit for showing us that clear cards can be put through the cuttlebug and embossed. I discovered a lacey beauty of the clear embossed card , and I like layering the items on and under the front cover for effect. The inside of the card has a tag from Tender Tags acrylics and the thank you is from Gracious Greetings.

I totally LOVE the papers from Magnifique, and the gorgeous swirling peacock stamp from Circle of Love acrylix. I stamped the peacock in multi tones of purple, green, and blue using a sponging directly from the ink pad to the acrylic stamp. I then adhered it behind the clear card front.

Finally I poked holes in the side of the card and wound chocolate ribbon in and out , and added some large rhinestones. So satisfying.

Pinky

2010-09-16T20:14:00.000-04:00

This card is the exact complement to Baby Blue! So Pinky is her name... (just like that pair of old fashioned paintings, Pinky and Blue Boy!)

Same pattern, techniques used as in previous card.

I know this way I will be covered, whether the upcoming recipient of this card is a boy or a girl, we are ready one way or the other!

Baby Blue

2010-09-16T20:06:00.001-04:00

Using the Originals pattern, Right Spotlight, I scored the Heavenly Blue cardstock for this card with a vertical line and sanded lightly to let the white core show through. The background papers are from Miracle. The baby feet are Baby Impressions acrylix, and the tag is from Tender tags. I sponged differnt shades of blue and green and blush onto the tag and cut it out after stamping. I added a few of silver stickers for extra embellishment.

All materials except silver stickers are Close to My Heart.

Best Wishes cards

2010-09-16T19:30:00.000-04:00

These cards were made with the Miracle paper kit and chipboard irrestistables embellishments.

I used the pattern from Originals once again...Lucky Three! it seems to be working for me lately.

Embossed clear cards with Veranda

2010-09-11T14:43:00.000-04:00

I saw a few clear cards embossed so decided to put a few throught my Cuttlebug embosser using a few different folders.

The results are super elegant.

The inside of the card features 2 layers of Veranda paper, and a Thank You from Gracious Greetings.

The front of the card is simply Organza ribbon wrapped around, fastened with 3 layers of paper flowers.

All products are Close to my Heart except paper flowers (basic grey).

Celebrate!

2010-09-07T13:57:00.000-04:00

A good way to use chipboard and scrapbook stickease .... decorating special cards.

I blended ocean , hollyhock, and sweet leaf markers onto the Irresistables chipboard. See how the stitching and the white flower remain white? That's because the irresistables chipboard are printed with white designs that resist ink so you can custom colour them to match anything!

The inspiration for this card is on page 96 of the Autumn Winter Idea Book.

You can also find directions for it in Originals: Handcrafted Cards Made Easy, page 59.

In fact, the same card is featured on the cover of Originals, using Alfresco, blush, hollyhock, and olive.

http://www.closetomyheart.com/en/Products/Online_Idea_Book.aspx

Papers are from Close to my Heart Miracle Kit.

Ms Holiday Cheer

2010-09-05T10:35:00.000-04:00

Yes she's back!

Ms Holiday Cheer is back with a sugary sweet look on Jingle Papers.

Colours are tulip, juniper, blush and olive.

This time she is adorned with liquid glass, prisma glitter, and stickles. She is flanked by teeny buttons and surrounded by new bitty red, pink and purple sparkles.

Look how proudly she is strutting by!

Deck the Halls

2010-09-05T10:14:00.000-04:00

I used the snowflake paper and stickease ornaments from a vintage Deck the Halls paper pack to create 3 cards . The inspiration for the circles on the background comes from page 88 of the 2010 autumn/winter idea book fromo Close to my Heart where it is shown using Mistletoe creative basics .

The branch under the left ornament is actually a swirl stamp from one of my brand new acrylix, Circle of Love (the peacock one) and the sentiment is from Ms Holiday Cheer .

I found a plastic stencil to use for the circles which just made my day . I think this design is quite versatile and a good way to showcase co-ordinating papers.

Thanks a Latte

2010-09-04T13:18:00.000-04:00

I can't take credit for the phrase, but it's an awful cute way to say thanks , and Lattes are my personal favorite in the specialty coffee world. I dont like to spend $4 on a coffee so they are definately in the category of Occasional Treat to Myself.

I would love a latte machine... one day.

I used vintage Just Chillin' papers and stickease from CTMH, dew drops, stickles, and chocolate organza ribbon.

Christmas in September

2010-09-03T12:59:00.000-04:00

This week, I made several 5 x 6 1/2" cards using lots of different papers from Close To my Heart's Winter paper packs from the last 5 years, and some odds and ends . Julia H. gave me a lot of matching Stickease that I incorporated as well. The papers aren't really interesting to me as scrapbook pages any longer, but are fabulous on card fronts! And, I have a list of cards to make for our school Social Committee.

Here is the first: Just Chillin is the featured paper pack, from the 2007 CTMH idea book!

Colours are Breeze, Desert Sand, Ocean and Vine Berry.

funky, and surprisingly, timeless!

Live Inspired

2010-09-02T08:51:00.000-04:00

I really really Love this bird from the Live Inspired acrylix (I pictured the set of 10 ) This is the second 6x6 card that I have worked up using this stamp as the focal point. It is an elegant image and very versatile. I made 2 birthday, 2 sympathy, and 2 congratulations cards using it yesterday.

The paper pack is from a Heart of Winter special and is no longer available. It came from Julia H's stash . It has an olive background of intertwining leaves, and a floral pattern with smoky plums. Since these are large, special occasion cards, I lavished layers and layers of paper on the front. I think there are 7 layers.

This time, I took a hint from the Triple Play techniques and used a 3 colour approach to inking the bird. First I darkened the bottom of the tail and the tips of the wing with pansy purple by pressing just that area of the stamp directly onto the ink pad. Then I inked the rest of the stamp overall with Desert Sand, which almost has a green tinge to it. Its actually close to khaki. Then I finally sponged a small touch of Twilight, which is a teal blue , onto the upper part of the bird.

For the background of the 3x3 square , I swiped the edges in pansy purple first , then I stippled a metallic gold ink onto the sides, focusing on the upper left and lower right corners.

a little birdy told me....

2010-08-30T16:32:00.000-04:00

I made this card using the bird from the Felicity Acrylix stamp set ( ctmh January 2010) and the Veranda Level 2 papers.

I love the soft colours in this paper kit. sooo me. It was also my first time using my new Nestabilities that I bought at the Town Scrapper in Petrolia... from my friend Phebe ! see that neat embossed edge on the green paper?

I stamped the bird in buttercup ink, and added prisma glitter and twilight sponged inking to it, to make it stand out .

Then a little extra touch, a pre-fabbed rose

(thanks Julia H)

I definately need to make more of these cards... lol.

Triple Play

2010-08-30T15:13:00.000-04:00

This months cute perk for acrylix purchases is called Triple Play. It is a kit containing 3 mini albums and a stamp set. I got mine for $5 by buying $45 in new acylic stamps. (see previous post! ) That was fine, since I had to have the new stamps ... AND

I got a stamp set for $5 and made 18 note cards as gifts! I thought it was a fabulous value.

I am posting a photo of the stamp set so you can see how versatile it is... brackets, journal lines, cute scallop border stamp, florals, phrases.

I am posting the results made using ONE of the THREE Triple Play mini album kits that I converted into a card set, using directions from Gloria Rogers . The cards are 3 1/2" square. Gloria posted lovely adaptations of the mini album pages , converting them into folders that hold 6 note cards. I copied her work exactly as she tells you to do it in the tutorial.

Then I created a template for a 3 3/4 inch square envelope and made 6 matching envies from some Christmas B and T that match perfectly . (as of course all the Close to my Heart colours match ! ha ha I love it.)

Anyways, check out Gloria's tutorial blog at http://hsstutorials.blogspot.com/p/triple-play.html

Even if you dont have Triple Play, its a darn cute mini card folder!

new Fall Winter Idea Books!!

2010-08-29T16:25:00.000-04:00

Okay... I have to share this... because I love so many of the new stamps and papers in the New idea book for Fall Winter. PLUS they have come out with a bunch of new fresh gorgeous summer colours that I already love. Pear, Sky, Pacifica, Sunset, Cotton Candy, Lagoon. Wow. I ordered Magnifique and Olivia level 2 paper packs , and then Circle of Love and Natures Gift for my new acrylic stamps. oooooooo and some new bling... pink/red/purple rhinestones and green/blue rhinestones.... so satisfying since they come in micro to 1/4 inch in size .

I am all set to create 2011 Christmas cards... in September!!

Recovering from surgery has its advantages.... wink!

Alfresco

2010-07-20T19:28:00.000-04:00

This is a remake / copy of one of my favorite card designs!

I was down to my last one, so I replenished my basket with 8 more of these today.

I used Solo T and Alfresco acrylic stamps, Moon Doggie paper, outdoor denim and sunflower cardstock, and chocolate ribbon rounds to create these cards today.

Live Inspired

2010-07-19T22:13:00.001-04:00

I love this romantic looking stamp set ... I had to have it because of the bird ! I think it would also make a great Christmas card using dark greens... However, in this case, it is done in neutral colours in a variety of 6 cards featuring: Congratulations (wedding) and Thinking of You (sympathy) and Happy Birthday!

I made them as a gift for my good friend Carol using a recylced and redecorated plastic envellope as a gift bag. We are going to her pool for lunch and a swim this week.

papers: Silhouette by Close to my Heart (thanks Julia for the mini stash)

Bliss Onesie Cards

2010-07-14T20:04:00.000-04:00

Lots of babies are coming our way...

Yummy mummys to be are: Kelly! Ainslea! Katie! Angela!

I got to work on my depleted supply of onesie cards, making 4 for girls and 4 for boys.

I really like the patterned paper on the girl's cards, and found an adorable use for those tiny safety pins Close to my Heart makes.

The template is SCS ... I believe... all credit goes to Jen Beaubien for teaching us this card a few years back.Thanks Jen!

amor

2010-07-13T09:02:00.000-04:00

This layout is about our dining romance at night in Mexico.

We enjoyed wonderful food in a gorgeous atmosphere!

I did a lot of marker blending with a watercolour brush on the chipboard title (amor).

Papers : Moon Doggie

Stamped Heart Image: Soul Mates Word Puzzle

brackets: irresistables chipboard

chipboard: Dimensional Elements Simple Alphabet

all materials are Close to My Heart

Majestic Blue / Bo Bunny 9 Square layout

2010-07-09T09:09:00.000-04:00

Okay... I had fun on both of these... and let me know if I am overdoing the "squares" but as I explained to Beth, linear works for me. And being a paper addict, I could showcase some different textures here that blend in well with the ocean shots. The bleached wood with the surfboard just does it for me!

The photos again are from the Mayan Riviera , showing the beautiful coral beach. Our beach was almost overrun by coral. By saying almost, I hesitate to condemn it completely. Coral has its pluses and minuses... it is amazing to look at, and attracts gorgeous fish which are wonderful to view as you snorkel, but it is tricky to walk in on when it is close to the shore. Other than that, our resort was perfect in every way. I had more difficulty than Rick, but am having a total hip replacement August 16 that should eliminate my mobility issues the next time we take a resort vacation!

The first page is almost collage like, and was inspired by the Splendor layout by Close to my Heart. I am liking leaving some open white space too.

Materials:

Close to my Heart Majestic Blue papers

Bo Bunny chipboard and papers

Hero Arts paper flowers

Close to my Heart craft buttons and Journey Journalling Spots

Florabunda

2010-07-07T23:00:00.000-04:00

Florabunda is a type of rose with many blooms... but to me, here, it means Floral Abundance.

Our resort was very well maintained and exquisitely landscaped.

I love the way palm fronds move , glisten in the light, and wave in the night. We had some spectacular giant ones in Mexico right outside our hotel room balcony . The colours were surreal: the bright orange and blue painted buildings were lit up at night to contrast with the pink and green foliage.

Beth joined me tonight and inspired this layout with a plan she had downloaded from the internet and printed off. Coloured resist Chipboard is from Close to My Heart . I also tried my new scallop punch that I bought at Lasting Impressions.

Blending markers on an acrylic Block

2010-07-07T22:46:00.001-04:00

I forgot who showed me this tip, but Beth used it tonight . Beth wanted to colour a chipboard butterfly fuschia but I didnt have that exact shade. I suggested that she load a block with orchid pink and then add pansy purple to deepen it, and then colour the chipboard with the lighter coloured pink marker dipped into the mixture from the block. The results were a bit like batik in the irregular way the colour blended .

Majestic Quilted Beach Layout

2010-07-06T22:04:00.000-04:00

I love the way this CTMH Majestic Blue paper kit looks with Beach photos. Really classic colours. I also added paper with sea creatures from BoBunny (Paradise) that just looks super. I bought the adhesive Chipboard stickers today to fill in those squares. I will repost when they are added, along with journalling.

I love quilting with paper squares like this!

My friend B... N...... is coming over tomorrow night, for a girls scrap evening! How wonderful!!

I will post results soon.

summer clothes

2010-07-02T19:19:00.000-04:00

I just changed the background and photo to reflect the colours of the juicy florals of summer.
The photo is from my backyard by the pool.
Hope you like it!

hot hot HOT

2010-07-02T18:51:00.000-04:00

I always liked that song... it gets me in a party mood when I go away.

Rick and I both love the heat, and love to bronze in the sun.

Mexico is unfailing when it comes to hot sun in March.

We had a spectacular resort , the Gran Bahia Principe Tulum.

Our resort had 5 pools, of which we used 3 .

Our club diamond pool was smaller but nice and quiet (the way we like it)

These photos are from the main pool where they do the water aerobics and fun activities (noisy after a while).

You could put your loungers right into the pool on a ledge if you wanted to!

This 2 page layout was done with You Rock papers from Close to my Heart.

I just love the bright goldrush yellow paper against the bright blue and the deep navy of the outdoor denim. I used irresistables Lots of Dots adhesive alphabet for the title. I used part of a bracket page that I bought at Phebes store in Petrolia to journal on. Also, some crazy flowers that I think also came from Phebes store... with CTMH jumbo brads.

The design was just a spontaneous thing. Going with less is more, at the moment,

and trying to journal in more detail.

Apologies: the third pic is turned sideways but I couldnt correct it. the other 2 pics loaded correctly with the same settings!

Splendor Layout Class !

2010-06-22T21:04:00.000-04:00

OH we really had fun last Thursday... exchanging ideas... working from a kit and template together, using the new irresistables chipboard ! see brackets and flowers... they look embossed but are just coloured in with marker. Jen, Erika, and Michelle did a wonderful job on their Splendor projects.

I love all the "white space" in this layout design. It looks so clean.

I found the perfect pictures to fit in with this unique "quilted" layout. The squares are only 2 1/2". The small photos were taken with a colour filter, so they only highlight the colours yellow, light blue and green, against black and white. I love the effect.

The main picture was taken by the Observer on my daughters first night at work! She started the night of the third annual ArtWalk restaurant tour. Ironically, she was hired at the Treehouse on the day I was going there for lunch with a friend, and , I taught the young man working with her at London Road School. I am picking Mo's brain for recipes... the House Lemonade rocks for sure as does the Asian Noodle Salad and the Veggie Pizza. If you want to see them on Facebook, here is the link.

http://www.facebook.com/stephanie.kerlovich#!/treehouseballs?ref=ts

Clear scalloped card

2010-05-16T09:23:00.000-04:00

Chipboard circle,

Papers,

Clear textured stickers

Clear scallop card :

Close to my Heart

paper ornament:

K and Company

(thanks Julia)

New Clear Cards

2010-05-08T15:54:00.000-04:00

I now have the Summer 2010 idea book . The Clear Cards are my NEW FAVE . They really create a visual impact like nothing else.The whole idea for me is to produce intrigue . I get excited deciding what to reveal, by creating areas that overlap and partially cover the card . I made sure that what went on the front of the card was smaller than the inside of the card, so that some of the papers from the inside show . I used K and Company ornaments (thanks Julia!) on both cards alongwith papers from Key to my Heart.

The ribbon and button embellishment "float" alongside the image on the front of the card. To get this look, I punched holes in the clear card and wove ribbon through the holes. I added buttons with liquid glass.

The textured stickers from Close to my Heart also "float" over edges and between layers because of their clear background.

The cards are 4 1/2 inches scallop round , or square, and come with transparent cello envelopes!

Stylin' then and now

2010-04-18T12:27:00.000-04:00

Vintage stickease and papers... in the hoard! are getting put to excellent use here in the Studio.

I still LOVE the look of these pert dresses. The long pink one is a bridal card and the short black and white one is a birthday card. The third silhouette of the girl is a friendship card!

I also put the cuttlebug to good use, as well as my sentiment stamps, and baby pink textured cardstock . The dresses and flowers feature bitty sparkles and clear sparkles , from Close to my Heart.

Growing Older Gracefully

2010-04-11T21:26:00.000-04:00

Phew. A long hiatus with no posts in March!

I was back to work on creating layouts this past week, and finished 3 quite quickly that I will share here on the blog.

The first is called:

Grow Deeper as you Grow Older...

I interpret that to mean, be spiritual, and always remain True to your inner self.

And I like the image the words create, that of a tree growing deeper and stronger roots the older it grows.

I turned 50 in October, which was cause for celebration. I know myself better than ever before, and in spite of that, like myself very much! (humour)

It is a new period in my life, which brings strength of conviction, clarity, and even more passion than ever. I am so proud of my family and all that we have done together.

I started this beautiful fall layout back in October 09 as a class that I taught, using the Grace workshop on the go from Close to my Heart. I earmarked it to use for my 50th birthday layout. I had over 35 guests at my birthday, held at the Brights Grove Golf Club (aka Crabbies) and narrowing the photos down for a 2 page layout was difficult. I couldn't decide just how to do it, until I selected a sepia 5x7 of myself for the left hand photo. Then I was able to print lots of 2x3 photos of everyone there and put them into 4x6 flip flap photo protectors, on top of the page protector. Problem solved.

The embellishments are clear buttons backed with Grace floral paper, and metal edge anchors in autumn colours. I used a tiny bit of very arty Japanese paper in an eggplant colour, that I tore, and it really looks great with the golden yellow , rust and teal blue.

Serenity

2010-02-28T10:10:00.000-05:00

Welcome March, Spring, Time of rebirth.

New peaceful music has been added to the blog, for your pleasure. The choices are becoming more spiritual.

I was so inspired by K D Lang singing Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen at the Olympics.

Also , Blackbird , by the Beatles, who sing "take these sunken eyes and learn to see"...

We can all heal and arise , change and deal with reality in dignity.

The Serenity cards are for my boyfriends Mom who runs a charitable home for alcoholic men in London. She has given her entire life to helping others in need.

I recycled a plastic envelope from Shoppers Drug Mart . It has a tab closure hidden underneath the paper strip. It holds a double row of standard size cards perfectly.

I made 10 cards of 5 different designs using the Grace paper pack. It is so rich and elegant.

All supplies are Close to my Heart.

Piece of Cake

2010-02-27T22:37:00.001-05:00

This lovely cake is one of 6 included in the February stamp of the month. It looks so dimensional pop dotted onto the embossed cardstock. If you look closely, you can see just a little Its a Party Random Stamping on the Moonstruck background and texture paper . It was enough to make a celebratory backdrop with punch for the beautiful tiered cake! I used watermelon, citrus leaf and ocean ctmh markers to colour in the cake, and light green rhinestone flowers and white daisy organdy ribbon to finish off the look! All products are Close to my Heart.

A Felicitous New Years Wedding

2010-02-27T14:25:00.001-05:00

A new year , a new decade, a new couple, a new life!

Our family attended the wedding of Kelly and Brad on New Years Eve 2009. It was a very happy and exciting event.

I used my new Felicity alphabet to stamp the title and the twilight blue Felicity die cut with vintage smoky plum CTMH fleur de jardin papers for the quarter cut background. The journalling will be on the lower right hand corner.

Holidays: Our Family

2010-02-21T13:30:00.001-05:00

The Holiday dinner we held with my cousin was a success.

Our two families can play poker, enjoy high spirits, get dramatic, discuss science, behave silly, share a musical vibe, and always appreciate each other.

I used a 9 inch square within a square layout design for the background and layered the smaller photos, journalling, and texts at the bottom below the 5x7 photo.

The title will be our family name at the top of the page in Crimson lettering.

The colours really stand out in real life!

Strike a Pose

2010-02-21T13:11:00.000-05:00

We had SUCH a good time with my cousin and her family just before Christmas. These photos show the relaxed and happy personalities

of our kids. They range in age from 16 to 20. It is a really neat age to witness and be involved in. They are so funny, creative and free at this age.

The layout was fun to do. I started with a horizontal background of intricate and subtle designs, and added the vertical 9 inch paper with the circular design. The dark colour seemed to really ground the photos.

Home for the Holidays

2010-02-20T13:29:00.000-05:00

Page 4: the doggies.

Rick's large Rottweiler named Zowie was having fun wearing little hats along with Lana and Prints. Rick wasnt impressed at her silly behavior. Too bad! Everyone else thought it was sweet.

For this page I switched into horizontal lines, again keeping it simple and matching the star paper to the precious page. There are a few twinkle brads on the left corner and I used circles and scallops to soften the flow. I left a white border to tie it all together. I am VERY pleased with these four pages!

Home for the Holidays

2010-02-20T13:25:00.000-05:00

Page 3: Rick and I.

Getting Rick to smile and relax wasnt easy until he put on his RedSox Tshirt. It was a breeze after that!

He really like his new pajama bottoms too.

I splurged just a bit on him this year. He is a good guy!!

I used Game On paper (with the stars) to tie in with the checklist stars and added some tiny white chipboard stars (CTMH) . The old ctmh black stripe background and texture paper

makes it look Classic! There is a tiny bit of garden green mat on the 2 right hand photos to break up the red on black and tie into the tree colour in the photos.

Home for the Holidays

2010-02-20T13:18:00.001-05:00

page 2: features my children and me on Christmas morning. Poor Chloe had no makeup on! but she is a sweet pea. I love my Olympic mittens from Colton. They make a heart when you cross your arms. Chloe loved her pink powder puff from La Senza.

Journalling will be completed tomorrow!

For this layout I used one of Julia's tags with a nice bracket edge to spunk things up. The rest of the lines are straight up vertical so I added a circular rhinestone embellie to soften things up . Getting the 3 photos the same size was key to making this page work. i left a little white, the same width as the edge on the bracket die cut.

Home for the Holidays

2010-02-20T13:02:00.001-05:00

I was elated to be catching up at Alexandra's last night with a great group of Brights Grove croppers, with all proceeds going to RayJon in Haiti and now I get to share the results with you!

First issue was the choice of background papers.

I had such dark photos, with a lot of red but very dim otherwise. (Time for a New Camera Soon)

Not very joyful looking when I laid the photos in front of me.

Julia had sent some black/red/white Christmas paper and punchout diecuts to go with it, with a very modern twist that inspired me to pare down the colour scheme. It worked wonders to bolden up the photos, since on brighter more Christmassy papers the photos were dying and looking yellowed.

Once I decided on using white daisy as my background paper, I had limitless possibilities with several crimson papers, and the cute accents from Julia.

This page features Colton after opening his iphone and his new winter coat, and his immediate reactions! I used 3 of the cute tags from Julia, splitting the green semi circle in half to "punctuate" the photo, and underlaying the small Joy tag on the lower right edge of the photo.There is also some black glitter paper to add sparkle! (thanks Jen!!)

THIS WAS FUN!

Give and Get Back : Hearts for Haiti

2010-02-01T20:49:00.000-05:00

Buy one textured cardstock pack, get one free, and Close to my Heart will donate $2 to Operation Smile, who are working in their hospital tents in Haiti with over 50 patients.

Enough said.

Stamp! WOW!

2010-02-01T20:37:00.001-05:00

I was looking at Tresa Black's new YouTube video on stamping for Close to my Hearts video contest.
Pretty much sums up how I feel about using our Clear stamps! plus she shows how versatile they are in a few cute techniques.
check it out here:
http://www.fabulouslyartsy.com/2010/01/stamp-wow.html
thanks Tresa for allowing us all to share this.

Fulfillment and Felicity !

2010-01-14T22:23:00.000-05:00

So...

How do we reach fulfillment?

you can read Buddha,

Ekhart Tolle, the Bible,

and they all say fulfillment is reached

through prayer or meditation,

giving of yourself, and controlling your ego. But you also have to look after yourself very well!

In my case, fulfillment is through family, love, work and art.

Not that I consider myself a VanGogh by any means. But I get to revel in the richness of colour, the interplay of textures, and the visual delights of design through my hobby.

Do you know people who have no hobbies? And they dont look forward to retiring? I do. I cant even imagine a life of no interests... just work , eating, and watching television.

I have so many hobbies and things I still want to learn, I will probably be even busier when I do retire.

Today, I read on the CTMH Felicity blog for January:

Psychology Today offers this advice: get a hobby. “Hobbyists are amateurs - that is to say, the most intrinsically motivated of lovers. They court their pastime, not for conquest or for gain, but for pure pleasure. Hobbies are, quintessentially, forms of play.” In other words, passing time with your hobby is the same as doing what you love, and doing what you love is what makes for happiness.

That sounds like making love to paper to me!!

I do know one thing... fulfillment is reached by not taking but by giving of ourselves, and in my case this works in all the areas I mentioned : family, love, and work.

The older I get the more this is true!

The trick is to find a balance where you are not overworking yourself, yet feel satisfaction in what you have done. I prioritize my family over my work... (sorry Ms. Mann) My boss already knows that !

smiles to you all!

Paper Romanza

2010-01-14T21:45:00.001-05:00

I borrowed the title from Amy Leggate's blog : Paper Romance!

It fits these tiny 3x3

cards perfectly.

I used Love's Language acrylic stamp by CTMH for the heart. The paper is all CTMH (vintage More to Adore ) as well as the ribbon (from the chocolate collection) . Julia sent me a bag of chipboard swirls that I inked in chocolate and used to mount some of the hearts on.

I left the fronts blank intentionally, so I can use these for Valentines, thank yous, or tiny love messages.

Designs inspired by the Stamp Goddess (Teresa Black)

The Many Faces of You

2010-01-07T21:12:00.000-05:00

Just a quick page from the ongoing 9 year project called the hockey album, on my son Colton James, who is getting very close to 17 years of age.

Since I focus so much scrapbooking on his hockey in uniform, I wanted to include a picture of him in his dress shirt and tie (with lucky Thanksgiving tie clip that I got him for getting a win. I used to get him little presents like mini sticks or pucks or pins for shutouts... now the presents are for wins ! lol.)

At 16 he makes good decisions, works hard at school and sports, and has a bright future ahead of him. He has a great sense of humour and helps me a LOT at our home. He will be missed when he goes to university.

I used CTMH base pages in black and added some background paper and journalling, and a few stickers. Pretty simple.

Hoppy Easter, Happy New Year, HAPPY BLOG ANNIVERSARY to me!

2010-01-01T14:43:00.001-05:00

In thanks to my profession, I had time over the Christmas break to catch up on some unfinished layouts from 2009. I had started this layout up north in November at the chalet with Bernie and Peggy. I chose a fresh new palette of citrus leaf, sorbet, taffy, and juniper cardstock as the colours of Spring . I was thinking of mounting the title on little ovals to look like Easter Eggs and had the letters ready to adhere, and the photos were mounted in place. I left a large 7 x 5 space on the left for my main photo. The corner rounder was put to good use and I was pleased with the groupings of baby birds, bunnies, flowers, and children in the photo groupings. We had a simply phenomenal spring last year on Driftwood, as far as nature and baby creatures was concerned. The bunnies were hopping in and out of my front garden for weeks.

I knew the big Easter bunny picture of John and Jacqueline was somewhere in my studio and would turn up with a good look. Last week, dad brought over a huge bags of stamps and papers that my good friend Julia in BC sent along to me via Toronto, and lo and behold, inside that bag of assorted used stamps was an Easter set with 25 different adorable patterned eggs. Instant title! I located the main pic and the layout came together. I was inspired to create the large ribboned egg with ricrac and brads. I cut a white daisy paper flower in half to adorn the ends of the egg.

This decade brings my third year in blogging . I started this blog exactly 2 years ago... and enjoy sharing my thoughts and projects in this way. Thanks for looking!

and...

to all my readers, a very Healthy and Happy New Year!

2010 Brings Felicity!

2010-01-01T13:01:00.000-05:00

Close to my Heart has a special kit just for National Papercrafting Month and I LOVE IT.
It’s named the Felicity Collection, and it contains exclusive regular and die-cut B&T Duos®, three amazing color schemes, and a stamp set that includes bitty birds, funky argyle patterns, flirty flourishes, and even an entire alphabet!

It can be yours free with a minimum purchase, or purchased outright from http://stefinitas.cuttingedge.myctmh.com/

Felicity was used to create this adorable birdy card! They used a piece of the diecut circle to create the branch . so sweet!

You can also check out the special Felicity blog:

The blog was created just for the month of January and will feature all sorts of Felicity projects!!

I am so inspired already .

Delights of the Season

2009-12-29T20:12:00.000-05:00

My Fiftieth Christmas wish to all my family and friends is for a Peaceful and Loving Holiday.

Let the Light Shine from your Heart and your Eyes!

Hope you like my Grand Finale card for 2009.

all products are Close to my Heart.

see you in 2010!

Holiday Cheer!

2009-12-27T21:34:00.000-05:00

For my Fiftieth Christmas Year... I sent Ms. Holiday Cheer!

This card is a spirited and sweet little number, adorned with all the trimmings.

It was a very good Christmas for all at Driftwood Ave. We are thankful for family, friends, and our health.

Peace...

Stephanie

And so this is Christmas ... and what have you done?

2009-12-08T22:16:00.000-05:00

Let us pause in our hectic lives and take a moment to remember John Lennon... the modern music world's greatest advocate of peace, tolerance, and love.

I would love to try to paint John.

What a beautiful soul.

Belfountain

2009-11-24T21:57:00.000-05:00

Bell Fountain, or Bell Fountain... I saw it spelt both ways... is just a very tiny village north of Guelph where Rick and I spent an afternoon sipping latte, browsing the General Store, and then walking a wonderful trail along the waterfalls and ravine with Zowie. The paths and grounds were laid out exquisitely, by someone long ago. Walking along with the wonderful fountain and iron railings, and passing over the swing bridge in the calm of autumn into the circular forest trails , I felt transported into a mystical state of being. We walked over moss , stones, and damp leaves that had fallen in gentle patterns. Leaving the grounds, we embarked on an ancient stone path that extended in a Zen bridge upwards. It is now one of my very favorite memories, captured in a photo . I wonder who first lived here long ago?

I scrapped this layout at Talisman with deep denim blue, soft yellow, and Grace pattern papers. I don't have much to say about the layout this time. It is more about the mood.

Serendipity

2009-11-23T17:18:00.000-05:00

These are 6 cards that i created in my spare time at the chalet with die cuts, Grace papers, and Serendipity stamps. The design is extremely simple so I added layers of paper flowers to embellish. I like the ones that stamp handwriting on the flower petals the best. I used up most of my desert sand die cuts . Now that I completed these, I will work on some using the light blue die cut flowers from the same kit.

Talisman

2009-11-22T20:24:00.000-05:00

My sister in law invited Peggy and I to her ski chalet which backs onto Talisman near Collingwood 2 weeks ago to scrap. I got a bit accomplished, but not as much as i would have liked. It was a wonderful day for a walk and Peggy took some great pics. This is a little brook running down Talisman. Nature is amazing.

Bite me... please!

2009-11-22T19:39:00.000-05:00

come on, just a nibble... I swear it wont hurt....

Rick's cousin Kelly got married in November in Mexico so before flying south, they hosted a pre- party in Tilsonburg : Jeff and Kelly's Wicked Wedding... October 31.

It was really well done. Her sister got miles of red velvet hangings and all sorts of huge pillars and crosses to create a very convincing Ghoul's Den. They even had dry ice to make fog for the ceremony. Of course, almost every guest came in costume! Bride and Groom came as The Bride of Frankenstein... his makeup was amazing . The kids were all costumed as well and very much in the spirit! Sexy sister Tracey came as a Hot French Maid, and her husband David came as Brorro... a black Zorro.. the parents of the bride were Elizabethan Royalty.

I should mention that while I like costumes , and of course, makeup, this event took some convincing for Rick . Costumes are not his big thing. He's a hockey coach! But I didnt push it, as going out in costume with someone in a permanent scowl is not much fun. I just let him know I had a great idea if he was willing to try and he decided to do it!

Following the craze for Twilight and the popularity of vampires, Rick and I teamed up to appear as a sexy vampire couple... well, we tried our best . lol. I splurged on the long red wig. The makeup was fun and transformed both of us. I knew Rick was in the spirit when he started pumping his cape like a bat on the dance floor. I stole Liam's bright green pimp hat and posed for a great picture on the velvet couch, holding a large rat.

Since I had lots of great photos to show, I used flip flap photo holders to add a few extra layers of photos to the top of the page protector.

I completed this layout up north at my brothers chalet behind Talisman 2 weeks ago.

Colours are Sweet Leaf, Smokey Plum and black... inspired by Jeannette Lynton's Colour Me Monday post in October. delectably twisted.

http://www.jeanettelynton.com/2009/10/back-in-black/html.

I really love this colour combo . I was telling Peggy and Bernie up north at the chalet that lots of folks use dark purple for Halloween layouts but neither of them was having it. In fact, Peggy thought the purple was unappealing (to put it mildly) Some times , my scrap pal gals and I differ on our tastes. Me, I have done pumpkins over and over. Orange would be fun for Easter , though!

New Muzik

2009-11-02T20:09:00.001-05:00

i have arranged my playlist to include new muzik for your ears...
its Christmassy . enjoy!

Holiday Cheer

2009-11-02T18:54:00.000-05:00

the second in a series... this Ms. Holiday Cheer is showing her little tushie in faded denim jeans. I used a waterbrush to dilute the ink and make a wash to fill in the jeans. The hat is done with the ever popular and easy to use Stickles product . The Rhinestone frame and Jingle Papers are both by CTMH .

I was out shopping for tombo tonight at the LSS (local scrapbook store) because I am going on a scrapbook retreat with my sister in law and good friend Peggy on Nov. 13. I got some new blades for my Fiskars trimmer, and then started to browse through the store. Lo and behold, I found 12 inch styrofoam cones on sale. So what , you ask? Omygosh I cant wait to make Tracey Mason's paper tree ( tmasonstudio.blogspot.com ) with Peggy and Bernadette at the chalet in two weeks!

It is an eclectic multi paper tree that reminds me of Tim Burton a bit with the curly tips. You can use leftover paper, it doesnt have to be Christmas themed. I am going to do mine in deep aubergine, browns and golds. I might throw in some olive green. I got 6 cones so I will share with the ladies and make a few extra for gifts. Going downstairs to sort through my papers. See you soon!

Ms Holiday Cheer

2009-11-01T18:28:00.000-05:00

The first of some tasty little cards that I am creating . Ms Holiday Cheer really appealed to me because she is so cute sweet and happy. The colours are tulip, juniper, creme brulee, twilight and blush. I am experimenting with different products such as Fun Flock and Liquid Glass on the stamped images. All supplies are CTMH except for ribbon.

Surprises

2009-10-25T19:31:00.000-04:00

I found a treat and flower pot on my desk for my birthday, last week on Oct. 16 left by a mystery friend.
Thank you Phebe for the beautiful red gerbera daisies and chocolate dessert! I could not for the life of me find out who brought it on my birthday until I read your post.

This card design was a big hit at the Birthday Bash Class. All papers and stamps are CTMH. The tiny green flowers were a gift from Phebe.

It is made from a 5 1/2 by 12 inch piece of cardstock scored at 2" , 4", 8" and 10" . Slits are cut 1 1/2 " from the top and bottom edge between the 2" and 10" fold. Then it is folded m/v/m, v/m/v, m/v/ m ( m = mountain fold, v = valley fold )

You can google the template for this fun, interactive card. It begs for add ons and dangling features.

Birthday Bash

2009-10-22T20:23:00.000-04:00

More Bracket Cards... These 2 are from our Birthday Bash class on October 14 last week.

The ladies attending were fabulous! I could hardly keep up with them. We did heat embossing, cuttlebug embossing, and 2 tri-shutter cards .

These 2 are masculine and feminine versions of the bracket card. All products are CTMH.