Yay! We're outta there!

I was just starting to feel like it was never gonna end. Today we did it. We packed up every last thing we owned and crammed it into our slightly over-full trailer (just ask the trailer tires, they'll tell ya) and we pulled out of the driveway leaving the old duplex in our past. YAY! So tonight we're staying at a friend's house and in the morning we begin our long and arduous journey to the frozen north. We will aim to be on the ferry in the morning and sometime later tomorrow (if all goes according to plan) we'll make it to Prince George later that night. I suspect I might just have good reason to stop the truck and try out my newest lens (a wide angle) on my newly gifted tripod. Ray said that the wildlife was in abundance on the trip down from Whitehorse so if I have any luck to speak of, there should be a moose or two to photograph...maybe even in a well composed, well lit fashion.

Something I didn't get a chance to post with the DT pages was a few more 'extras' provided by Tania.
These few little cards are such a great way to use up your scraps and add a few cards to your stash. I don't know about you but I tend to be a bit of a scrap-hoarder. I have every intention of using them up but some how don't quite ever get there. Do you have a scrapping scraps abundance? What do you do to keep your scraps organized or to a minimum? I think that one of my resolutions for next year should maybe have something to do with scrap scraps.

I am so excited to get home, to unpack my studio boxes (and boxes and boxes and boxes...) Everything will have its place and my creative juices will be overflowing!!!! I wish you could be there for the most productive moments but I think I'd be the happiest person there. Once I get settled, I will be booking classes - daytime ones at the studio and evening ones in town- and my dear friend Jessi pointed out that you blog-stalkers might like to get your hands on instructions. I happen to have books and books full of instructions for cool projects so I'll have to get scrappin' and postin' the best of the best from my classes. Can't wait.

Ooooh, one more thing, before I forget...I was finally reading through almost a month's worth of emails (on 3 different email accounts) and stumbled across this great little tidbit from Pick Up Sticks - a knitting site. They are all about felting and have a new book out with patterns for these... yes, they're boots and yes, they're knitted! I can't wait to make a pair.

Enjoy the rest of your week and I'll see you Friday...maybe sooner if you're lucky!

Challenge 43 - How crazy life is...

This whole moving thing is so busy, crazy and chaotic. I have unloaded so much MORE 'stuff' since my last post. I have sold furniture, appliances and miscellaneous odds and sods. We have genuinely pared down our possessions to the best and favorite of everything we own. We came to realize that we own a shocking quantity of books and I can't even illustrate just how heavy that pile of boxes was - although I'm sure you can imagine! Ray and I will be heading out on Tuesday sometime for the journey homeward. I'm so incredibly excited to see British Columbia and its wildlife for what will be the first time EVER for me. I've flown over it all many times but you don't really see much more than snow-covered mountains at thirty thousand feet! There will definitely be photos coming of those sights. Now, lets get down to business... This weeks sketch is so great. It's simple but really fun. This sketch lends so very well to interactive elements or hidden journaling. Of course, remember that you can always drop an element, rotate the page or add as much as you like to your own page. This is a great foundation sketch

Tania

Jessi


Margaret

Danielle
Check out how Danielle used her file folders to hold several 4x6's, creating an interactive element on her page. This is a fantastic way to use multiple 4x6 prints without cropping them or making more than one page if you don't want to! Way to go D!
Christine
Sallie

I gotta apologize in advance because I have a funny feeling we might not have internet access wherever we may be on Friday...but if we do I promise to post!! Thanks for your amazing pages everyone and thanks for your patience while I move! ACK! Thank God it's almost over.

Challenge 42 - How could I possibly forget?!?!

But somehow in all the chaos and craziness that is currently my life, I had completely forgotten to post on Friday. I am living in a state of upheaval, have no computer, and have been going totally bonkers trying to keep up with my social commitments throughout the past week. One of the best ones I have to tell you about. I was planning on going for dinner to a new restaurant in Comox (Avenue is the name) with my pals, Karen and Sue. Sue graciously was the chauffeur for the evening and when we arrived at the restaurant, I was rather concerned about the lack of parking and with the fullness of the restaurant. Sue assured me that an alternative plan was not necessary and that we wouldn't have to wait in line. Upon entering the restaurant, we told the hostess that we were meeting a friend and she tried to escort us toward a table loaded with people. I tried to correct her and said "oh, no we're only meeting one girlfriend". She (and Sue) continued to direct me toward that large group and it took me a few minutes to realize that I knew everyone there. That dang big group of people were there for me!! Karen managed to orchestrate a dinner with some of my favorite friends! It was a superb evening complete with gifts and of course dynamite food at a very post restaurant.

Alright...so lets get down to business...Here's this week's sketch


And this is what the girls did with their kits this week. I want to point out the versatility of scrapping with B&W photos. The next time you sit down to scrap, try using B&W photos and see if it doesn't open a few more creative doors than usual.

Tania

Jessi
Margaret

Danielle

Sallie

Christine

Up to my Eyeballs...

in boxes and dusty old stuff. I can't even explain to you - unless you've recently moved yourself (Jessi)- how bitter I am about packing. I have accumulated WAY too much crap-ola over the past three years. It's amazing how you manage to maximize the storage capacity of any given space whether the 'stuff' in it is needed or not. I have been purging 'stuff' steadily over the last week and a half and while I feel very free from the burden of it, I'm a little bummed by how much needless stuff we've blown a staggering quantity of money on when we likely didn't need to do so. A lesson, perhaps but at least my chances of fitting all that 'stuff' into the trailer increases with every trip to the consignment shop!!

It was a little sad for me to be in my studio at the house we're moving out of knowing I had no time to scrap. I did (I must confess) spend one day when I first arrived in there creating. I made about six pages and had to force myself to stop and pack instead. I'm a little surprised to see how many boxes were really needed to pack up my studio. I hope I can organize my new studio in a way that contributes to efficiency and maximum creativity.

So, since I'm starting with a totally blank canvas as far as organizing goes, I want to know what some of your best organization tips are. I want to know how you store some of those hard-to-store items like chipboard pieces, ribbons, paper scraps...share your wisdom with me. Leave your ideas in the comments section so that we can all benefit from them!

I can't wait to learn what you guys do in your scrap spaces to make the most of your creative time.

so dependent on technology (Challenge 41)

Here I am, back in Courtenay for a few weeks - KIDLESS- packing, visiting, and running a zillion errands! I'm attempting to buy very few groceries so I'm staying at friends/family for as many meals as humanly possible. So far, so good. I know I usually post our challenges in the morning but that's not working out so well with the internet disconnected. I had it cut off as a cost-saving measure while we were away but now that I'm back, I feel a little differently. Not a very well thought-out cost-saving measure because I'd gladly pay the $40 it would cost me to have kept it on if I knew I'd be here for weeks on end. Oh well, I think I'll make it thru the next little while but some of the posts might appear later in the day than we're used to.

so here it is...Challenge 41 c0mpliments of Chris @ Sketch me if you Can


I love the composition of this page and the suggested use of scrolls/flourishes. I also just bought a new stamp set by Autumn Leaves with six journaling blocks which would be perfect for this page.
And here's what the Girlies did with their kits & this week's sketch...

Jessi

Tania

Margaret

Sallie

Danielle

Christine

Sadly, the computer that I'm working on is only mildly cooperative and I'm unable to post studio photos but maybe later this weekend or sometime next week I'll try again and you can see the next phase of the evolution. I love it and can't wait to move in. So happy!!!

Bran Van 3000

This is a funky, odd Canadian band who I totally dig and I am sharing with my faithful blog stalkers while I'm trying to feature music on my blog on an ongoing basis...so this is a test, only a test

Challenge 40

This week is SO exciting! We've got our newest member, Jessi, participating for this month onward with the rest of the team. Her pages are SO pretty - must be nice to get to scrap little girls! I'm a little envious of all you guys who get to do that...I'm working on getting more photos of me to scrap, I just need a buddy with a camera...I left my last one (camera wielding friend, that is) in Courtenay so the me-pics are a little scarce!!

Earlier this week, you got to see the new kit for this month which is so luxurious and ornate. The papers are inspired by wallpapers which could easily be the reason behind the crazy wall off textured paper in my studio!


This week's sketch is found at Sketch Me If You Can and is an original creation by Chris Greiser. I love her compositions and seriously I'm losing my mind not being able to scrap right now!!! Here's what the Girls did with their kits & sketches...

Jessi

Tania

Margaret

Christine

Danielle

Sallie

Chilly Chilly Day

Today is dang cold! It's -1 and there's frost still on the ground because the sun can't penetrate the looming snow clouds in this morning's sky. EEK! We are finishing up the renovations on the studio - which I'll show you when it's finished- and man, does it ever look different! I decided to paint the walls two different shades of purple (it's a bit much without any furniture or accent colors in it yet) which is my most favorite color in the world. I recently learned that purple is the color of inspiration and spirituality. I think that's rather fitting!!

I was reading one of the Memory Makers Masters Blogs this morning and this is what I saw...



I think it's a wonderful, versatile way to display current pages and other decorative elements while making good use of wall space rather than precious counter space!! I will definitely be implementing this great space saver display method in the new studio and if any of you decide to try it out too, post a link to a photo here so we can all see what you did with yours!

And as you all know, I've been deprived of my usual creative outlet (scrapping) so I've made a dent in my summer reading list. My most recent read was Turtle Valley by Canadian author, Gail Anderson-Dargatz. She's one of my favorite authors because her settings are familiar and relevant to my life in Canada rather than being totally removed from my environment in some foreign country. When you visit her website, you can listen to her read excerpts from each of her books...such a cool feature. Her other, well known titles include A Recipe for Bees, A Cure for Death by Lightning and The Rhinestone Button. I love the way her writing draws you right into the lives of the characters and just when you think you're beginning to get acquainted with the characters, the story ends! I love that kind of book, don't you?!?! If you haven't read any of these titles, you might really want to consider it. They are lovely, quick and satisfying stories. I recommend them highly!!

I'll let you know if there's any snow today! Maybe I'll even come back later to post some teaser photos of the new studio!! Enjoy your Wednesday!

October's Kit

I can hardly believe that it's only a short matter of time till the snow flies! It is brisk and breezy and in the mornings, the thermometer is barely above zero. This is the best time of year to hunker down with your stacks of summer photos and plot out your next few (hundred in my case) pages for your family album. This month's kit is a gorgeous addition to anybody's album regardless of your style. The papers are so delicious and the embellishments have been designed to coordinate perfectly with the prints.This photograph, I must apologize for, there's a funny tint to the image that makes the papers bluer than they are in true life. Below are the images of each print in the kit to better illustrate the colors. See the list to the right hand side of the page for a complete list of the contents of the kit. All the products were provided by Daisy D's. The rub-on tape is a brand new product - which I have not had a chance to use- most of the DT seems to like that one!

and in case you were wondering what that rubon set looks like up close...
So if you think that this kit would fit in comfortably with the rest of your stash, subscribe today and get your hands on the newest products from Daisy D's.