All About Love...

Come See Me Here...

2012-01-31T08:08:00.004-05:00

I have a new blog...come visit me here:

Judy Beeksma

Best Buds...

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

I was certainly in the mood to scrapbook this weekend...I created several cards and layouts. My two boys show their personalities so well in this picture. My oldest, Simon is the quiet child and smiles so nicely when his Momma asks and then my youngest, Jared will always give my a goofy expression. Love this picture so much...

I used some very old paper from my stash from Pebbles Inc. I didn't have any embellies to enhance my page; just the papers. So I incorporated some Bo Bunny polka dot cardstock and polka dot ribbon, cut a title and tag from my Silhouette, and went through my button stash and picked a bunch that matched the papers and threaded them all and randomly placed them as a border on the lower part of my page. I love that effect!!

I also have to thank Allison Davis from Scrapbook Generation as well for a fabulous sketch. I created this page using the One-Page Layout book Volume One. Stunning layouts and I can hardly wait for more volumes to be released...

Best. Pancake. Recipe.

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

Yes this recipe is my Great-Grandma's Pancake Recipe. Passed down to all the women in my family...this recipe is now loved by my family. I made them this past weekend and decided to share it with you because once you have it you will never want to use that powder mix for pancakes again.

PANCAKES

1 1/3 cup flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1 egg

1 ¼ cup milk

3 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil

¼ tsp. vanilla flavoring

Mix all dry ingredients together. In seperate bowl, mix egg, milk, butter/oil, and vanilla flavouring. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and vigorously mix to get all lumps out. thenfry them up...YUMMY!!!

Winter Wonderland...

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

Little Red Wagon #117

Joanne challenged us to us a Winter Wonderland themed card this week...What fun! this little skating snowman has been in my stash for a long time and I was delighted to see that I could use it. Isn't he cute! Take a look over at the blog to see what the other girlfirends have come up with

Wonderful News and a Card...

2012-01-24T07:33:00.000-05:00

On Friday last week I had my 6-month check up at the Juravinski Cancer Clinic...I cannot tell you how many hours I worried about my appointment...Ridiculous but normal I guess. But I had the greatest appointments with Dr Avram and Dr Corbett and they are reall pleased with how I am doing. My Chest X-Ray came back clear and that makes me very happy. When I got home I will tell you that I was exhausted from relief and the emotional, ugly cry from being so happy. Next check up is 6 months away and look forward to a real good week ahead...

Wanted to share this great little simple one layer card that I thought up on Sunday. So pleased with it's simplicity and pop of color. I also like the effect of popping up the middle row of hearts. I actually used my Silhouette machine and made the strips of hearts from one heart image and then welded them together. Such a simple image and has such impact on the white card. That stamp is from My Stamp Box. Beautiful stamps; the clearest of images when stamped.

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Old Daisy D's Paper...Oh How I Miss Thee...

2012-01-23T06:23:00.000-05:00

This weekend was a scrappy weekend...and I used some of my old Daisy D's paper and rub-ons to complete this layout of some old birthday pictures of Simon from 2007...I so miss that company and wish they would come back...But alas I did have a fairly good amount of their paper in my stash!!!

And I used a great sketch from Scrapbook Generations sketch book...Allison Davis and Debbie Sanders created lots of great sketches in Volume 3 of their 2-page layouts...It makes it so easy to pump out a page.

I also love those rosette flowers that I make using my die-namics die that I picked up here a while ago but have used it several times. It add so much character to my layouts and cards. I also made a couple of my twine flowers as well. You can see how I made them here.

Shelf Makeover...

2012-01-20T08:59:00.000-05:00

Remember this post about my Milk Glass and where I display it right now. Well, I wasn't real happy with how that picture looked. With the back of the shelf so hollow and open, it just did not look finished and I thought I could do better. So I knew it needed a backing but not just a painted backing but something with character...

It started with a piece of typical shelf backing purchased at my local hardware store for a mere 6.00. I had initially thought about beadboard painted black and if this makeover doesn't sell me over I think I might go with that idea.

So, then my mind went to this beautiful scrapbook felted paper that I had in my stash. I actually placed the shelf backing up agianst the shelf and taped a piece of the felted scrapbook paper and a piece of black cardstock and looked at it for a couple of days. I even placed a few pieces of milk glass up against the two papers to see how it looked. Had everyone in my family take a peek and the felted scrapbook paper won....

As you can see I did not have enough pattern paper to finish the entire board so I thought I would be back at the biginning of the project. So then I decided to push my brain a little and live outisde the box....

I decided to place some black cardstock on each side of the pattern paper and it worked fabulously. The seam was hardly noticeable and it finished the project so well.

Then my sweet hubby with some finishing nails, nailed the backing on the shelf...

What do you think. This project cost me about 7.00 total if you consider the nails and glue. Pretty cost effective if you ask me. The picture makes it look like you can see the seam, but in person it looks seamless... I much prefer this look to the former shelf!!!

Quilting Qaundry...

2012-01-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

I made these quilt tops several months ago and thought in my immediate enthusiasm that I would hand quilt them...But, alas I did not get to it....Does anyone out there know womeone who is sitting around doing nothing (HAHA) and would love to quilt them for me. Hand or machine quilting; not to picky really!!!

A Tale of Two Ribbons...

2012-01-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

Little Red Wagon #116

Deanna challenged us to use two different ribbons this week...I am sad to say that I have a ribbon obsession...And to find two ribbons was too easy!!! What was hard was to pick two ribbons that matched perfectly and I think I accomplished my goal...

My girlfriend is having a baby soon and I needed to make a Shower Card...Love how it turned out...

This Kaisercraft paper just spoke to me.

I used two ribbons...One from American Crafts and the other I think is Making Memories...Old stash of my ribbons!!

And the bling button...Don't ya just love it! It is from Bazzill Basics that I purchased amny moons ago. the flower is Kaisercraft as well. I decided to stamp the word "love" with EK Success Letter stamps and used Tim Holtz "bundled sage" for the ink...

ENJOY!!!

All The Pretty Colors...

2012-01-17T21:33:00.002-05:00

When I look outside today and see the gloomy sky and the rain coming down I think of bright purple, pinks, and coral orange. The colors of my garden in the summer. Oh how I long for the warm evenings spent sitting in the loveseat, drinking tea and reading a book...ENJOY!!!

Crate Paper and Old SEI...

2012-01-16T06:51:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it amazes me how much STUFF I have in my scrapbook stash!!!

Ok I will admit that I did purchase something new for this page on the weekend...That little corrugated paper heart for 25 cents!!! But the rest of it is old stash Crate Paper, SEI embellies and various other companies that sits in my scrapbook room. It takes a little hunt to get all the things that work together but I am so happy with how it turned out.

I remeber this day so well. It was the first day I had ever skiied in my entire life and I was so proud of myself!!! We had taken a Christmas vacation to Horseshooe Resort and I was determined to get on skis...And I did!!! This picture shows how absolutely exhausted I am. My eyes look wiped but I felt accomplished...One thing off the Bucket List!!!

New Book....

2012-01-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

One of the things I wanted to do more this year was "READ"...And I have finished a book already and we are only 13 days into the new year. How cool is that! I have many books in my book shelf downstairs. I go for a starbucks coffee...Look at all the new books at Chapters...and most times I see one that appeals to me. So I have decided to get as many of them read as possible this year.

Jeffrey Archer...This is the first book of his that I have ever read...It was good. It wasn't real deep but it was a good little mystery. Has a lot to do with the art world and what people with lots of money will do to get their hands on what they want. Interesting story!!!

Vintage Milk Glass...

2012-01-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

For many years now I have been collecting Milk Glass. For the past several years though I had got away from it. but just shortly after Christmas I noticed how much of it I used in my Christmas and Winter decor. So I decided when I put all of the Christmas things away, that I would display every piece of glass that I own in one place. It looks great! And I love how fresh and clean it looks. What it also made me think was how I would start looking for more pieces as well. It is amazing where I have found some of these gems. All it takes is for me to keep my eyes open in the most unlikeliest places. I am also going to do some furthur research on the pieces that I do own and perhaps start a journal about my pieces.

Just thought you might want to take a peek!!

Little Red Wagon...#115

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Itty Bitty Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

Roseanne challenged us this week to use something little, yellow, polka dotted, include a bikini or a combination of all of the above. I have always enjoyed scarpbooking with the colors of yellow and black. And polka dots are just one of those patterns that I often gravitate to when I scrapbook...Roseanne, I loved this challenge...thanks for it!

I used "Authentique" paper from my wagon and that glittery butterfly has been in my stash for such a long time; just waiting for that perfect project. This was it!!! Love that die from Dienamics...such a pretty floral flourish!!!

The Best No Bake Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake Ever...

2012-01-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

My Dad has turned into quite the little chef since he retired. He loves to try new recipes all the time. So this Christmas when my Mom was having a large family get-together, he offered to make the desserts for her. One of the 4 pies he made for that night was this little gem. It is so lovely and silky and rich but not over-powering!!!

My girls were coming over this past Friday night for an evening of scrapbooking and thought it was perfect for them. And they loved it! I hope my Dad does not mind me sharing his recipe but I could not resist. I wish I knew where he got it from but sorry, I don't.

CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE PIE

Crust:
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) chocolate wafer crumbs
1/3 cup (75 ml) butter, melted

Filling:
4 oz. (113 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used semi-sweet chocolate)
3/4 cup (175 ml) whipping cream
12 oz. (340 g) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup (75 ml) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla

Garnish:
3/4 cup (175 ml) whipping cream
1 oz. (28 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Crust:
In bowl, stir crumbs with butter until moistened; press onto bottom and up side of 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate (I used a 9-inch springform pan and did not place crumbs up side of pan). Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

Filling:
Place chocolate in heatproof bowl. In small saucepan, heat half of the cream just until boiling; pour over chocolate, whisking until melted. Let cool slightly. In seperate bowl, beat cream cheese, remaining cream, condensed milk and vanilla until smooth; spoon randomly into prepared crust. Pour chocolate mixture into gaps. With tip of knife, swirl mixtures together roughly. Tap on counter to smooth top. Cover and refrigerate until firm, 4 hours. (Make ahead: Refrigerate for up to 2 days).

Garnish:
In bowl, whip cream. using piping bag or spoon, pipe into rosettes on pie. Sprinkle chopped chocolate over cream.

Look what I got...

2012-01-09T07:00:00.001-05:00

My Mom asked me just before Christmas what I wanted for a gift this year. I was stumped! With my parents living about 2000 miles away, it is always hard to come up with something that is easy to get here. I thought a gift card would be nice; so, I suggested a Henry's gift card. And with that I purchased this lovely little gem...An Optex Portable Photo Studio and Lighting Kit.

It is just so fine...I have just begun to play with it and so far I am in love. It brightens each thing that I take a picture with. The first project I took a picture of is here. I will get better at using it and all my projects with have a much brighter feel to them I hope.

Dollar Store Decorating...

2012-01-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

My side of the family got together on NewYears Eve to ring in the New Year. We had planned on not having a large meal but actually having a variety of appetizers (hot and cold) so that we could all just graze at the food throughout the evening. So for me that meant decorating a table for a buffet. Something I did not have a lot of decorations for. Or so I thought. I decided to shop my house and found lots of shite, silver and gold items that would sparkle on a New Year's table. But I wanted just something a little more. A trip to Fabricland and Dollarama and we were off to the races...

I purchased this lovely glittery gold material at Fabricland and it draped around the table so pretty...In conjunction with an already owned white table cloth and a large piece of black braodcloth that I already owned...it was perfect!

So then a trip to Dollarama and I purchased so much for about 10.00...Hats, Crowns, Sparklers, Noise Makers, and lots of white candles.

Loved it all and got lots of copliments about the table; especially from my kids...they loved it and I loved them for noticing. But to be honest; it came toether in aobut 10 minutes once I had everything on the table...Love it when a plan comes together.

Also love that everyone, including all the biys just had a oofy time with the hats and crowns. I just had a thought...I wonder would he mind if I put that picture on his Facebook page???? HMMMM!!!

It really was a fabulous evening and we all had so much fun...thanks foir coming guys...Until next year...

Out Of The Closet...

2012-01-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, I am almost ashamed to show this crazy messed up closet. It was the dumping ground...It was the ugliest excuse for a closet...It was scratched up...It was useless!!!!

The shoe storage solution was clearly not solving anything for us...So we made the decision just before Christmas to strip it down to the bones...

Took all the baseboards off...We had some left over from the living room makeover that we could use.

Do ya see that black mark on the wall...there was a bad stoarge solution there that we would put all of our plastic grocery bags in...It looks pretty bad doesn't it!

The color of the paint in that closet was so faded and did not look good up against our newly painted hallway...

The baseboards were hardly attached with these carpenters staples...No surprise really!!!

But now we have an organized, freshly painted sensible closet...We got these fantastic recycling bins at Ikea that serve as our shoe storage. Everything is enclosed and has fabulous clean edges which is visibly pleasing to me. Can't really tell in the pictures but we also replaced the baseboard that was painted with Benjamin Moore "Cloud White"...

Those drawers actually lift out and can be washed when needed.

My sweet hubby installed an extra shelf for our larger coolers. There was a lot of wasted space up there and we just measured the existing shelf, purchased the wood and got it cut at RONA, painted it and then installed it...Love the extra storage space. Now on the lower shelf we store our daily use lunch bags and the kids place their hats up there too!

A little corner tucked away there for extra hangers for visitors...

We also measured and placed 2 1x2" strips of wood with hooks so that the kids can place their backpacks after school each day. they typically dump them at the door...Now they have a dedicated space. It has been about 4 weeks and they continue to use them...

And I still have my Elephant key hook...I have had this little guy for many years and decided not to part with it...

it is so good to have this completed and it makes such a difference because I don't mind opening my closet anymore...The kids are even getting better with hanging up their coats. It was real nice this holiday season because we also had lots of room to hang up coats from our many visitors...Really enjoying it!!! In regards to cost...It was minimal...the paint, baseboards, brushes and rollers we had on hand. The Ikea recyling bins were about 20.00 and the wood and cutting came to about 40.00. So for 60.00 we got a complete closet makeover....Lovin that deal!!!

Word for 2012....

2012-01-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

I have pondered over the last several weeks what my "Word" for 2012 should or could be. I even wondered if I should put restraints on my year by even having a "Word"...Would I commit to it? Would I listen to it? And then I read this quote on facebook (origin unknown) and knew that my word for 2012 is "HEAL". I have already started and come so far already. But 2012 will be about healing in more ways than physically. It will be about mentally and socially and personally and so forth. All the other things that life throws at you or than physical healing. I am so ready and so happy to have found a word that fits who I am now and where I want to go this year!!!!

Little Red Wagon...

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

So excited to share my first design for Little Red Wagon...Regan challenged us to use felting or flocking on our project. I was inspired by the weather ourside and wanted to create something with snowflakes. I used this great product that allowed me to flock my white snowflake. Lovin' the effect is creates... Enjoy!!!

New Design Team...

2012-01-03T16:42:00.002-05:00

So happy to share that I have been accepted to be on the Design Team for Little Red Wagon...I have always followed this blog and have participated as well...Looking forward to the many great challenges ahead. Some very talented ladies on this team...

Little Red Wagon

Little Red Wagon...

2012-01-01T21:02:00.003-05:00

I have to say this card is not brand spankin`new, but I had to show it off. and it fit the challenge so well. My brother is moving into his new home this month and I made it for him many months ago...Enjoy

Welcoming 2012...

2012-01-01T20:52:00.004-05:00

As I relish in the peacefullness of New Years Day, I look back to 2011 and this little blog of mine and think of what were my favourite moments that I shared with you. It also makes me look forward to what my goals for my blog are for 2012. Let's begin by what made so happy to share with y'all this past year...

I did lots of great scrapbooking the beginning of this year...I was looking for something to keep my mind busy and not think about my diagnosis...so I dug in and got lots of fun pages completed.

March brought news of my surgery date and with that in mind I decided to close the scrapbook room for renovations. This was such a welcome diversion from my mind. It kept me busy and I had a goal to have this great scrapbooking room to retreat to during my recovery. It worked because I have spent a lot of hours in here since it has been completed.

I started something new last year in that I wanted to share some of the techniques that I use on my own pages with y'all. Some of my favs were shown here and here. I would really like to continue that this year but more of it. I even hope to do a series of some kind on the basic techniques that help me stay organized and utilize some of those many extra leftovers that all scrapbookers have. More to come on all of that.

In 2011 Imade two seperate design teams that I was so thankful to be part of. Sketchabilities and Cardabilities were so kind to let me share in a great experience. Thanks Karan for letting me create with your sketches.

This past summer I took a trip all by myself...Yes, when I felt up to it my Mom asked if it was possible for me to come home for a visit. It turned out that I had more than enough airmiles for a trip so off I went. My three boys did great at home and I had a fabulously relaxing trip home to Newfoundland with my Mom and Dad. Thanks for a great visit Mom and Dad...I needed it and came home to my family with a renewed energy ready to get on with the rest of my healing!!!

This past fall one of my LSS; Two Scrapbook Friends, asked me if I would do some designing for them with a fabulous line of paper from American Crafts. I was so touched and humbled. But I loved what I came up with. Some of the best scrapbooking I completed this past year...

Going away this fall with my two favourite girls was one of the most threpeutic things I did for myself this past year. Off we went to Grand Bend with Two Scrapbook Friends in October to scrapbook for an entire weekend. Sheri, Janet and I have a wonderful weekend filled with paper, fun and laughs. Looking forward to next fall as well...

So as I look forward to 2012, I have a cheeky smile on my face. I have made it through one of the toughest years in my life and look with anticipation to a year filled with no negatives; only positives!!!

Bring It On!!!

Top Picks for 2011...

2011-12-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

It has been a ~~crazy~~ insane year...OK, it started bad but it is ending Great!!!! I have some new stuff coming over the next weeks. I have some resolutions that I am looking forward to sharing as well. But to end 2011 I thought it would be neat to show you what people were most interested in this year on this here little blog of mine...Aside from all the info and updates regarding my Breast Cancer this year...people actually read lots more as well. To end the year healthy and happy and healed is a true blessing and I look forward to 2012 with so much anticipation.
I wanted to read more this year but it really got away from me as the year went on; but these two books really interested a lot of people reading my blog this year.

When I was finally ready to share my story with y'all I was amazed at how many of you wanted to read about it. I had initially started to blog about my disease so that I could track my feelings and to keep a tab on what happened when!! But, I began to learn about how much support I would have through this whole process it was very comforting and it did not go unnnoticed or unwelcome. I have had so many read about the "Long Story" and hope that it was not too much for y'all. It was a lot for me at the time!
But now that I have re-shared the tough parts of 2011, I now get to share what else y'all thought was interesting to look at this year. This layout got so many hits and I did love making it...Great Stella Rose layout...

And this project was so much fun to do and I wish I could credit for the original idea but alas I can't. It was so much fun to present Candace with these wonderful popcorn boxes as little favors for her baby shower...Rhylann is now an adorable baby girl and is very adored...

Thsi year one of most favourite projects was recreating my scrapbook space and you all seemed to enjoy looking at the pictures as well...

I am so grateful to all of my friends and family and are humbled by those who visit my little slice of life...It does not go unnnoticed. Happy New Year to all of you!!!!

Cardabilities Reveal...

2011-12-30T09:25:00.000-05:00

I can hardly believe this is my last sketch for Cardabilites. That 3 months went so fast! It was a blast. I look forward to seeing what the new design team does over the next 3 months.
When I saw this premade die cut from My Mind's Eye, I knew that I would be using it for this sketch. Love My Mind's Eye and how it lent itself to the style of the sketch. Using my Silhouette and a edge punch for the scalloped edging, a card is ready for Valentines Day for my sweet hubby. I know it is kind of early knowing it is just New Year's but I couldn't help myself. ENJOY!!!

Make sure you visit the Cardabilities blog to see what the other design team members did with the sketch.

Christmas Balls...

2011-12-28T20:00:00.001-05:00

Two years ago I saw this on Eddie Ross's Blog and was intrigued...So much so, I knew that I wanted to try it someday. This year was the year... And this is what I came up with.

It started with some great Christmas colored Flannel Shirts from Value Village...

Freshly laundered...twice...then hung on the line...Did this in September when the weather was so warm and breezy...they were smelling so lovely when I took them off the line. I pressed them and put them aside and waited until I found the styrofoam balls I was looking for...

It took me a while to find them at a good price...Michaels had them but I was not willing to pay the price...because I wanted a lot of them...But then Len's Mills came to the rescue (Once Again!!!)...

For a package of 8 small balls it was only 1.29...I could hardly believe it!!! So I got several packages of the small, medium and large styrofoam balls...Once I had the balls I cut the shirts down into strips. The smaller the balls the smaller the width of the material. The length was clearly determined by the circumference of the ball...

Some dressmakers pins and voila...I had everything I needed!!!

And now you can see what I did with them once I had them all wrapped with that lovely flannel!!!

This garland already had red berries, pinecones and different kinds of greenery...so the flannel balls just added to the garland.

But, once it was completed, I thought it could just use something...wasn't sure what it was though...So I let it sit for a couple of days...And then it hit me...A little bit of ribbon would do the trick...I took 8 inch pieces of red satin ribbon, tied it in a knot in the center, and then tucked it under the balls on the garland. Once they were all place, I knew it was completed.

I was so happy with how it turned out!!!

ENJOY!!!

Absolutely Joy....

2011-12-23T16:37:00.000-05:00

Wishing all of my friends and family a Joyful Holiday and a Joyous 2012. Amid all the hustle and bustle...Lets's remember the reason for the Season.

HE IS BORN!!!

Cardabilities Reveal...

2011-12-15T10:00:00.001-05:00

My goal with this sketch was to use one coordinating set of papers and embellishments. I used some Bo Bunny papers and stickers. With the use of black ink and pop dots I was able to make this lovely card using Karan's sketch. I softened it black gossamer ribbon, grey pearl pin and a cream hemp bow helps to finish this great card off. ENJOY!!!

Don't forget to visit the Cardabilities blog to see what the other design team members created with this sketch.

Cardabilities Reveal...

2011-11-30T10:00:00.002-05:00

For this card I hauled my old stash of Chatterbox papers to complete this sketch. I loved Chatterbox and missed it so much when they were gone. I still have a little bit of that paper left and get very nostalgic when I see it. It reminds me of when I would start buying full collections instead of one or two papers from each collection. Had to have all of the Chatterbox with each release. Too funny!!

Loved how this card turned out. Lovin' that big gift on the front of the card!

Make sure you check out what the other design team members over at Cardabilities did with Karans' sketch.

Cardabilities Reveal...

2011-11-15T10:00:00.003-05:00

Had so much fun making this card...I used my new Rosette Dienamics die in my Big Shot and made these great rosettes. Using a punch to create the 1.25" scalloped circle and placed American Crafts Thickers to create the word "CUTE". It turned out so nice...love it!

I thought I would share a video with you on the Dienamics Dies and how lovely they are...

Also made a couple more rosettes using the same die but made the blue rosette smaller as mentioned in the video. I also cut the edges with pinking shares and made the edges so sharp. I will definitely be using this flower on lots of projects. Make sure you head over to the Cardabilities blog to see what the other design team members did with the sketch.

Green Tomatoes....

2011-11-03T07:06:00.001-04:00

What am I going to do with all of these Green Tomatoes???

Weekend with Friends...Literally

2011-11-02T00:10:00.001-04:00

A couple of weekends ago myself, Sheri and Janet headed out to Grand Bend to The Oakwood Inn for the Two Scrapbook Friends Weekend Retreat. It was phenomenal. The three of us were so in the mood for a weekend away with each other. No committments other than scrapbooking, eating when they told us to go to the dining room, and going to bed whenever we wanted. It was so relaxing; just what the doctor ordered. I know that I had high expectations going into the weekend and I had every wish fulfilled. When we got there we found out that we had this fabulous table. It was cozy and had perfect lighting for scrapbooking.

Janet and I took a walk on the beach later on Saturday afternoon. We both had forgotten to take proper shoes for a walk on the beach so went barfoot. It was a little cool but our feet got quickly used to the coolness. To be honest it was refreshing and restorative. It has been a long nine months getting over Breast Cancer and this weekend was just what I needed. I came home feeling rejuvenated!!!

The weekend was not without it unexpected fun as well. We all got a chance to participate in some fun games. Each of us laughed at each other with good intentions. But it was so funny seeing what we all had to do.

But alas, the weekend comes to an end much faster than we wanted. Looking forward to the Spring Retreat girls...Can't hardly wait!!!

A Thank You to Carolyn and Joanne for a fantastic weekend...Sheri, Janet and I are very aware of how much work it takes to pull off a scrapbook weekend and it was done very well. Thanks again

Top of the Stairs Makeover...

2011-10-31T11:54:00.001-04:00

I have been wanting to share the top of my stairs makeover to you for quite some time. I actually did it just at the beginning of summer but it got away from my. And then I re-created it for fall and what better night to share my fallscapes than on Halloween night.

I started out with some black, green and grey with little touches of burgundy. It was nice but I was getting bored with it. I knew I also wanted something on the wall. A picture , a mirror or a grouping. Just wasn't sure.

I tried the wreath; thinking it would be the perfect fit; Thought the whole look would be acheived with a wreath. But alas, the look was stale. I wanted something brighter. Then I decided to shop my house. I found this mirror that I had on the wall downstaris. It was then I decided it needed a little fix me up. A little paint job and it would fit perfectly with that little bureau upstairs. It was then that I made a few silly mistakes. Mistake number one: did not sand the wood...Always sand lightly to get that finish off the wood. There was a light layer of some type of varnish on it! Mistake number two: did not prime. Yeh, I didn't prime it. I went straight for the gusto...right to the spray paint. And as you can see from the pictures below. The paint bubbled on the wood. It was nasty. But to be totally honest, it didn't have to be perfect. Yes, in my head I wanted perfect, but I did with what I was given.

What ended up happening was a happy accident. Once it dried, and I gave it a second coat, it looked crackled. So I went with it. But for future reference to any DIYer's out there;

Sand it, Prime it, and then Paint it.

Anyway, after lessons learned and countless months before I took pictures..I am now going to show you my fall decorating all over the house including the upstairs reveal. ENJOY!!!

Now that Halloween is over and the kids have all their treats...It will soon be time to take it all down and decorate for Christmas...It is actually pretty exciting. I love getting ready for Christmas.

Cardabilities Reveal...

2011-10-30T09:00:00.001-04:00

I really enjoyed working with this sketch. I can hardly believe that this is my second card for Cardabilities already. This term is flying right by...

I also love working with Basic Grey papers. The more that I work with them the more I love them each time. I combined a couple of different Basic Grey patterns and chipboard with this card. Added some Prima Flowers and American Crafts Thickers and way to go. ENJOY!!!

Cardabilities Reveal...

2011-10-15T10:00:00.002-04:00

Another great sketch to work with this month...And I am totally in love with my tone on tone card. Was totally inspired by the sketch and when I saw this shape on my Silhouette, I knew it was the perfect choice. I flipped the sketch to the horizontal and used a popdot for the center embossed piece to add dimension. Love that new Dienamics flower... ENJOY!!!

Guest Designer at Two Scrapbook Friends

2011-10-14T09:29:00.004-04:00

I was so thrilled when Carolyn and Joanne asked me to be a a guest designer for them. The last 9 months have been long and have put me on a path of healing since I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. The day that Carolyn and Joanne asked me to do this, I had just had my last appoinment with physicians where they told me everything looked good and I did not need to be scanned or X-rayed(is that a word? HAHA) until January of 2012. I was happy but it had been a stressful couple of days leading up to that appointment. When Carolyn and Joanne asked me to do this for them it made me so happy. In my true emotional self...I started to cry right there in the store...silly me...they were happy tears but none the less I cried. It was so nice and I was happy and all the emotions over the last couple of days just seemed to come to a head in that moment.

When they told me what paper I had to work with I was thrilled. It was funny because I was standing right in front of that paper and was drooling over it thinking I wanted one of everything but knew that I surely couldn't with everything I had in my stash as it was. I was also thinking that this was the best line of paper that American Crafts has ever put on the market. Not only the designs, but the embellies and those Thickers will get me every time. This was a lot of fun and I hope it shows in the projects I completed how fabulous it was to work with. I was inspired!

SO GRATEFUL FOR YOU

I really enjoyed the light hue of blue in this line. It was a nice departure from the common colors used at this time of year. I do like to line my cards and use a small subtle sentiment as well; either a stamp or rub on.

THANKS

In this card I used three different "Thanks" stickers offered in the collection. One of them on their own was not enough but using three of them together gives it greater dimension; plus, I used pop dots to raise the larger of the three stickers.

BOO BANNER

This was so much fun to make. Using my Silhouette machine I cut the black scalloped background. Who says a Halloween banner has to look spooky. I wanted mine to look pretty and vintage. Hence the scalloped background and use of vintage lace along with the great embellies that come with this line.

FALL FAMILY BOARD

I was very happy to finally find a perfect place for the family pictures that we had done about two years ago. It was my Mother In Law's 80th birthday, and we wanted to find the perfect gift for her. She loves pictures; so we had a family photo shoot up in Owen Sound. It was a beautiful, crisp fall day and the pictures turned out great. I had not scrapbooked them and was delighted to have finally got them put in a good place. I love doing these frames. The Kaisercraft products are so versatile and easy to work with. They offer so many opportunities.

Again, the embellies really make those perfect finishing touches...

I am delighted with how my two layouts turned out. I have been looking for the perfect Halloween paper for these pictures for many years and this is it! Love distressing paper...It add so much to your page, especially when a vintage ink is added as well.

Do ya see that little strip of pumpkins there? Well, that was a little added bonus with this line of paper. Ya know that bottom strip of all the pattern papers that you typically cut off and throw away. Well, with this line of paper, the barcode and info was on one side and on the other side was this pattern strip that I used on a lot of these projects. They were patterns that were not on any of the papers and was like an added embellishment in the line. So Nice!!!

I have always loved Thickers!!! They are so versatile and easy to use. They give you a quick title and add so much to a page. These Thickers were so soft and yummy to work with.

Again, thanks Carolyn and Joanne! This was a lot fun to do and I love how my projects turned out.

Sketchabilities Reveal...

2011-09-30T13:48:00.003-04:00

I can hardly believe that this is my last sketch take for Karan over at Sketchabilities. I was easily inspired by this sketch...Absolutely beautiful sketch. Again I used some of those old pictures that my Mom gave me on my trip home to Newfoundland this past summer. The pictures on this layout are all from various times when I was a young girl and my Dad holding me. So happy with how it turned out. I did switch the sketch around a little to accomodate the title in the upper left corner instead of the lower right corner. Love how that hanging title works. Used a lot of die cuts from my Silhouette Machine and all papers are Basic Grey Curio collection with the chipboard Basic Grey peices are from the Marrakech Collection.
Make sure you go over to Sketchabilities and visit the other design team members to see what they did for this sketch...ENJOY!!!

Wooden Bowl...

2011-09-28T13:40:00.002-04:00

I love Value Village....I can always find something there to use or repurpose in my home.And today was no different. I needed/wanted a wooden bowl for my front entrance to put keys and sun glasses in when you first come into the house. We were always leaving them on the kitchen table or the buffet in the kitchen. I thought it would be great to have them right at the front door. I had looked at several places around town and could not find anything I liked. The ones I did like were far too expensive for keys at the front door.

As you can see by the price tag below...I spent 5.00 on an old wooden salad bowl. It was not in bad shape at all. It looked as if it had hardly been used. So I gave it a good soapy cleaning. Let it dry real well and then oiled it with a good sturdy wooden oil. It brought it back to it's original color and sheen.

Fits perfectly on my front hall table. And it fits all of our keys and glasses.

Roasted Heirloom Beets...

2011-09-26T13:37:00.002-04:00

This past weekend, my family and I drove by this great farmers market down towards Hamilton...I could not believe how many Heirloom fruits and vegetables they had. It was so much fun to look at the different varietites; especially the tomatoes and the beets. I LOVE BEETS!!!. They are the simpliest to perpare and with very little seasoning they turn into sweet, yummy roasted goodness. The ones I picked to bring home were called Candy Cane Beets and Mustard Beets. So different from your typical red beets. The picture does not do it enough justice. The Candy Cane Beets were so pink, red and white. The Mustard Beets were such a crimson yellow.

I prepare all of my beets the same way. The thing I did notice was once I prepared my candy cane beets they lost their striation. A bit of a bummer but they still tasted real good. To prepare them I blanch the beets first. This helps with peeling them and cutting for roasting. But all that I do is cut the top and bottom off the beet. Prepare a pot of boiling water and put the beets in the boling water for about 3-5 minutes depending on the size of the beets making sure the beet is completely covered in the water. If it is a large beet, longer time in the water.

Once out of the water I give them a few minutes to cool. Lay the beet on the flate edge. Start slicing the skin off the beet off from top to bottom and work your way around the beet until all skin is off. Once the beet is skinned; cut into large chunks as seen in the bowl below.

Once cut, you now add the simpliest of ingredients. Some cracked black pepper, sea salt, olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar. Aren't they so pretty!!!

Don't mind the messy bowl...before I prepared my beets I mixed my roast potatoes in the same bowl. Trying to keep it simple in the kitchen and not have several bowls on the go at the same time.

Once the beets are melded well with all of the ingredients; place them in a foil wrap bed. I typically double wrap them so none of those gorgeous juices run out. Now you can place this on the top rack of your BBQ about 30-45 minutes before your meat goes on the BBQ or you can roast them in the oven during the winter months. I find that on the BBQ they take on a smokier flavor. But either way, these babies turn out so yummy; tender, juicy and so sweet!

My trip to Newfoundland...Part 2

2011-09-24T13:21:00.003-04:00

On the last evening of my week home in Newfoundland there was a little family get-together. As it should happen, while I was home, two cousins of mine were home visiting as well. My cousin Elizabeth from Chicago was home. I had not seen her in about 9 years. I had never met her kids and it was so enjoyable to spend time with them.

Mom and Dad

Aunt Shirley and Uncle Pat

This is my other cousin Jason and his wife Lynette. I was so happy to see them. I had never met Lynette and I could not remember the last time that I saw Jason. It was so wonderful to see him. I did not spend nearly as much time with them as I wanted but I made the most of what was given. Your kids are adorable Jason and Lynette.

Aunt Bride and myself

Dad and I

Aunt Shirley and I

Cousin Elizabeth and I...I swear if Elizabeth and I lived closer to each other we would spend a lot of time together...She is so much like me we could easily be sisters.

Thanks so much for the lovely day Aunt Bride. You hosted us all so well and it sure was glad to see you all again. Let's hope it is not so long before we catch up again.

House Watch...

2011-09-22T08:52:00.000-04:00

On my trip home to Newfoundland this summer, I got to see my parents' new home. It is just like a little doll house. My Mom enjoys her home so much and it is visible by how lovely it is. It is in such a new sub-division; there is still much construction going on around them but that does not stop my mother and father from having a great home. As you can see, the grass has not grown in the front yard yet. Yes, my Dad seeds his own lawn. He has never been one to have sods laid...and his lawns have always been beautiful. While I was home he babied that lawn and treated it with kid gloves.

Loved that star mirror. It is so cute in the front hall. That little nook in the front hall was very simple when I got there. It had one small glass bowl on it. So I went to work one morning while Mom and Dad were outside gardening. It looked more substantial. Mom loved it when she saw it. The colors in all of those items melded real well with all the colors in her home.

Her living room was so comfortable and cozy. We would sit in there almost everyday for an hour some times and talk about old memories and it was such a wonderful memory from the week home.

Mom has a true country kitchen. So Comfortable! And of course my mother has everything in it's place. Not one thing is out of place. The layout works real well for them. It was lots of fun cooking in this kitchen beacuse that typical kitchen triangle was perfect.

My Dad has the greatest set up outside. It runs together so smoothly. The "shed" as my Dad aptly calls it; is hardly a shed. It is big enough to be a small house...but it houses all of his tools and wood for fire burning. They heat their house in the winter with a new fangled fire burning furnace. Behind that shed is A LOT!!! of wood.

The shed has this nice concrete walkway into the back door of the home, That chair is where my dad takes a little break from his outside work. His perch is perfect to watch all the new construction that goes on opposite from their house. The walkway leds up to the backdoor, as I said, and to their patio and my Mom's clothesline. I am a little envious of her clothesline. It is so long and is so nice!!

To my Mom (when she reads this); loved your house and totally understand why you want to be home in Newfoundland. It is where you are meant to be. I would love for you to live here but you are meant to be there. Thank you for your hospitality and the great visit with you both. Love your daughter....

Trip to Newfoundland...

2011-09-21T07:31:00.002-04:00

This past summer, just after my radiation finished, I went home to see my Mom and Dad. I wasn't sure when I booked it if I was ready to do something like this on my own. I knew that I would be by myself and at that point I was very fatigued and was worried that I was trying to do too much. But it turned out great. I was tired, but I paced myself and took my time. My Mom took very good care of me and I had lots of free time to heal and rest. There are a lot of pictures to follow but this blog is about more than my crafting and I wanted to document everything I do from now on. Enjoy!

The Exploits Valley River

My Mom and Dad at my Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Bob's new house site.

Mom, Dad and I at Gambo Newfoundland on our way to St. John's for an overnight visit.

You know I had ot find the only scrapbooking store in Newfoundland. The Paperie in St. John's was a lovely store. Bought some treats for myself too! Notice my new Paperie Pink Bag...I do have to work on that bag addiction!!!

When visiting St. John's you have to get a picture of the iconic row houses. they are everywhere in downtown St. John's and are more beautiful every year.

While Mom and Dad rested at the hotel, I took a walk down to George Street. While studying my nursing program in St. John's, my girlfriends and I partied a great deal at this establishment called Trappers John's. During my walk I had to drop in and take a look and while there I said I must have a beer. It was the first beer I'd had since getting sick. It was the most delishes beer I think I have ever had.

Everytime I visit St. John's, I have to visit the Harbourfront. It has changed so much over the years, but one thing stays the same and that is the fresh fish that come in each morning. There is this familiar smell, not a bad one, but just smells like "Newfoundland". If that makes any sense. It was familiar, comforting and enjoyable even on a wet, cold morning.

I also visited "The Basilica". Most beautiful church in Newfoundland. have gone to many services here over the course of my life and have marvelled, still at this age, how they have built and maintained this structure. I did not get any pictures of the outside but the inside is most extraordinary.

The ceiling...

My Mind's Eye Layout Challenge...

2011-09-20T00:53:00.002-04:00

I have loved My Mind's Eye product for many years. I just recently put a link for their blog on my own blog. The inspiration from that blog is great. I have already participated in their card challenge this month and this product below is my entry into the their monthly challenge. You had to use the sketch below and also had to use "Back To The..." in the title. I used a picture of myself and my Mom of when I was back in Newfoundland. Loved how this layout turned out. Enjoy!

OLW Challenge 64...

2011-09-19T19:46:00.000-04:00

I am so happy with this new challenge blog that I am trying. The One Layer Challenge over at the Simplicity blog is really great for me because it forces me not to LAYER!!! It is so simple to make a card now. This next challenge is to use color...This is what I came up with...

My Mind's Eye Card Challenge...

2011-09-18T16:39:00.001-04:00

The challenge this month at My Mind's Eye is to create a card using the following sketch. I have loved My Mind's Eye products for so long. It is almost like they are so beautiful that I just love to look at them and not use them. Well, I have decided to stop hoarding my paper and actually start to use it. What a concept, I know!!! I have created this pretty card using the beautiful "Happily Ever After" and "Girlfriends" from the Lost and Found Collection. Thanks for the challenge ladies!

Sketchabilites Reveal...

2011-09-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

I can hardly believe that this is my fifth reveal for Sketchabilites. I have loved doing this job and am so happy with this weeks reveal. This past summer I went home to Newfoundland to visit my Mom and Dad. It was such a lovely visit. One of the hilites was my Mom had taken all of her picture slides and had them turned into pictures. So off I went to Walmart one day and copied a great deal of them. The three pictures on this layout are the day that Dad asked her to marry him. Such a pretty picture and such a memory to capture. Loved scrapbooking this page and love how soft and pretty it has turned out. Used many diecuts on this page...they are becoming a favourite of mine to use and alter. Love them! Little bit of bling and some buttons and away we go...Enjoy!!!

The Sketch

Cardabilities Design Team...

2011-09-12T21:32:00.001-04:00

I have some great news to share with you. I made the Cardabilites Design Team. I had loved working with the Sketchabilites and wanted to continue to work with Karan's sketches. So, I applied and am so happy to be chosen as a part of a diverse, talented group of crafting ladies to showcase Karan's sketches. I look forward to the next three months and you will be inspired by the sketches. Congrats to all of my fellow designs team members.

New Cards...

2011-09-12T14:30:00.001-04:00

I have so many scraps of paper that I relly want to use...and this was the end result of it today. Some of them are very simple but I am sure whoever receives them in the future will be happy with them...or nat least I hope so. Enjoy!!!

Back to School Treat...

2011-09-10T01:02:00.000-04:00

I am so excited to share this next project with you. It was first found on Two Scrapbook Friends. They had it as as Freindzy Friday project and the idea was so fabulous that I had to make two of them. They were filled with a few surprise goodies for both my kids on their first day of school. I placed them on their bureaus so that when they woke in the morning, they immediately would see them. Just a little something to help brighten that first day of school morning!!! They both really liked them and loved the trinkets that were in each of them. thanks guys...I do it outta of love!!!

One Layer Challenge...

2011-09-09T00:22:00.002-04:00

I would like to thank Roseanne for showing me the way to this challenge. She posted a card that she created tonight and it was linked to One Layer Challenge. So much fun. the simplicity of creating a one layer card instead of my normal style of many layers was very refreshing. It was very simple...create a baby card and it had to be one layer. Well there you go...How did I do??? I think there will be many visits to this challenge on Wednesday from now on.

Report Card Album...

2011-09-08T07:54:00.011-04:00

I made these albums many years ago but because it is the beginning of the school year, I thought I would share it again. I have had so many compliments on this album; thought it was time to share it again.

My sons love to keep their report cards so I thought up this little mini album after I saw these great envelopes at this wonderful stationery store in Waterloo a couple of years ago. They are long envelopes but have the string closure at one of the long ends. Great for making just about any kind of keepsake album that you want to store things in. Just thought I would like to share it with you all. I have started at Grade Seven, going up to Grade Twelve. Therefore needing 6 envelopes.

I used Scenic Route patterned paper. It is such a great boys paper line. I also used two pieces of chipboard and 4 pieces of brown Bazzill cardstock to cover the chipboard for the cover. I inked everything with a dark brown chalk Cat's Eye ink. I also used the American Crafts foam letters and two different colors of large ricrac.

You would first glue the brown cardstock to each side of the chipboard.

Using the Zutter Bind It All, you will make holes in the two covers and each of the six envelopes as seen in the picture above. If you do not have a Bind It All, there are several ways the you could bind your album. For instance, you could punch three holes down the side of each cover and envelope and use three binder rings available at any office supply store.

Your album should look similar to this once it is bound.

Now you can get creative with your album and decorate any way that you wish. The picture above is the title page.

Using the lined Scenic route paper, I typed the above captions for each envelope. The font I used is "Pharmacy". I love this font and have used it in many projects. Great for boys projects. Just thought I would show what each page looks like after embellishing.

The Cover.

Grade Seven

Grade Eight

Grade Nine

Grade Ten

Grade Eleven

Grade Twelve

And on the opposite side of each embellished page I plan to put pictures from that year of school. Hope you enjoy this project and it spurs a moment of creativity for you or even gives you another idea for a keepsake album.

Put your feet up...

2011-09-07T02:32:00.001-04:00

That title actually means two things...Put your feet up, because this is a loooong.... post with lots of pics and I am showing you all what I did to an antique footstool so that I could Put My Feet Up while sitting at my scrapbook desk...

I wish I could be all savvy and such and tell you I took a picture of the before shot but I forgot. It was pretty nasty though. Really old smelly green velvet material with lots of holes in it. But once I stripped it...(OK, Jared stripped it because he loves to do things like that)...it looked like what you see below...

a rectangular piece of badly needing TLC piece of wood...

I decided to take the little round legs off because I could not for the life of me get the area in between the legs and the stool clean.

I realized once I had that there were 4 different screws in it. I knew than that it had had several makeovers in it's life.

I also saw many holes where it had been re-done several times as well.

Once I gave it a good cleaning and made sure everything was stripped off the edges, I decided to give it a good sanding. I knew that I was going to be re-painting the stool; therefore I was not to fussy with filling the holes.

I did have to sand off many layers of old varnish so that my paint job would look somewhat clean and not all bumpy.

Sanded the feet really well also.

Then once it was sanded a couple of times, and free of all sanding dust..I painted with a thin coat of white primer. Now that first coat of primer makes it look really bad. But have faith...it gets better.

See what I mean...the primer did not make me feel very good but I knew there was a little gem in there waiting to come out.

Primed those little round legs as well.

This was after 4 coats of a Benjamin Moore Cloud White that I just love. It is on all my baseboards in my home and it is so crisp and clean. It took 4 coats to help make it look crisp but it still had some imperfections which showed it character and age. I was real happy with it.

I did go to Len's Mill Store and got my bindings, material and foam to finish off my project. I stapled my bindings as I had found them so that it would support the foam.

A little close up of the staples holding the strapping.

My foam was a 14x14 inch square so I had to trim it down to 8x12 inches to fit my stool. Once I had that completed I proceeded to cut and place my fabric on my stool. I had picked out this great cream and black toile fabric that just fit the colors of my room so well.

Once it was all stapled down, taking great care to get my corners fitted properly, I placed a great black and cream plaid ribbon around the bottom circumference of the stool.

It fits so nicely under my feet in my desk area and it such a cute addition to my already comfortable craft room.

Canadian Scrapbooker...

2011-09-03T00:07:00.000-04:00

One of my favourite scrapbook magazines, Canadian Scrapbooker, is having it Spring Call. The deadline is October 15, 2011. I copied this right from the Canadian Scrapbooker page.

They are currently looking for pages in the below themes:

Layouts that use the colour PINK
Spring getaways – Mexico, cruises, Carribean
Layouts or projects that use doilies
Layouts inspired by astronomy
Ruffle it up!
Add an envelope – projects or layouts that use envelopes of any shape, size or style
Being creative with leftover letters
General Spring and Easter

We are also looking for that perfect photo for our SPRING 2011 cover. If you have a photo that you have taken and you feel it would look fantastic on our magazine cover, please send it to us!
Deadline for the SPRING 2011 page call: October 15, 2011.

Leftovers...

2011-09-02T09:24:00.003-04:00

I was so inspired by the leftover pattern paper from the Sketchabilites sketch this past week that I had to make some colorful birthday cards. They are very simple; just using some embossing, die cuts and ribbon and voila.... some cute birthday cards for a special person some time in the future... Always good to have them on hand don't you think...Enjoy!!!

Little Red Wagon...

2011-08-31T23:44:00.001-04:00

Was inspired to participate at Little Red Wagon this week because I love punching borders. I use them a lot and enjoy what they add to any card or layout...Enjoy and thanks to the girls over at Little Red Wagon for the chance to play with something I love.

Pretty House...

2011-08-30T10:36:00.001-04:00

The Cardabilities blog had a great sketch today and I could not resisit making something this morning. It is absolutely beautiful here today and was inspired to make something pretty. My brother and his family will be moving into a new home soon and this was just what I needed to get that card done. Enjoy!

I am not sure if you can tell but what I tire dto accomplish was cut several of the same image from my Silhouette with different papers. Then I paper pieced them together over a brown cardstock mat. I really like how it turned out.

Sketchabilities Reveal...

2011-08-30T07:36:00.003-04:00

I found this sketch the most challenging yet. Never to be stumped by a challenge I dug in...4 weeks ago. Yes that is right...4 weeks ago. I could not get into it for some reason. I don't typically work with circles and found this my biggest stumbling block with this sketch. But, that is why I do love working with sketches...they make you test your boundaries and make you think outside your box and work with something different. I am so please with the end result. The picture, the colors, and the techniques albeit a simple and pretty layout that resulted from my labor. ENJOY!!!

Cardabilities Sketch...

2011-08-29T01:01:00.000-04:00

I was really hoping to have this done in time to place on the Cardabilites blog linky tool...but alas life got ahead of me and I am just posting it now. I used some old Basic Grey for this card. I can not even remember the name of the paper. But this sketch was so nice to work with...Really liked it alot. Enjoy!!!

New Card...

2011-08-28T14:23:00.001-04:00

Working on a card today...Just thought I would share. This is a little bit of scrap Basic Grey from many moons ago. Found it in my stash and just did not want to throw it away. I think this is much better use for it...What do yout think?

Design Team Call...

2011-08-28T09:01:00.001-04:00

Karan is having a design team call for the next 3 month term. The sketches are great and so fun to work with. Why don't you try your hand at it...

Cardabilities

Its that time again, with a short term, its time to post a call for our next Design Team!
Deadline for this call is Sept 10th! With Announcement Sept 15th!
Please include in your application: Name, address, email address, and a link to your blog and tell us why you wish to be a part of our Design Team

Please Send us:
3 of your recent cards that displays your cardmaking style.

As a member of our Design Team, you will be required to:
-Complete at least 2 cards per month with sketches provided.
-You may be required to work with Sponsor material from time to time.
-You MUST have a blog ( this is not an option)
-You will be required to post your creations to your blog each reveal and link back to the main Cardabilities Blog.
-You will also be required to link your creations to our linky tool each reveal!

This is a Term position from Oct 1-Dec 31/2011(3 months)
- Call also Open to Past and Present Design Team Members - only those selected will be contacted via email. Designers who have served two consecutive terms are not eligible this round.
- 15 designers will be selected

Please email your submission to cardabilities@gmail.com

Sketchabilities

Its that time again, with a short term, its time to post a call for our next Design Team!
Deadline for this call is Sept 10th! With Announcement Sept 15th!

Please include in your application: Name, address, email address, and a link to your blog and tell us why you wish to be a part of our Design Team or why you enjoy sketches!

Please Send us:
3 of your recent layouts that best showcases your scrapbook style

As a member of our Design Team, you will be required to:
-Complete at least 2 layouts per month with sketches provided.
-You may be required to work with Sponsor material from time to time.
-You MUST have a Blog, (this is not an option)
-You will be required to post your creation to your blog each reveal and link back to the main Blog.
-You will also be required to link your creations to our linky tool each reveal!

This is a Term position from Oct 1-Dec 31/2011(3 months)
- Call also Open to Past and Present Design Team Members - only those selected will be contacted via email. Designers who have served two consecutive terms are not eligible this round.
- 15 designers will be selected

Please email your submission to sketchabilities@gmail.com

Ready To Pop...

2011-08-27T08:13:00.000-04:00

First off, I would like to say the following is completely my idea but I can't. I have to give credit where credit is due. This absolutely fabulous blog called Scissors and Spatulas is a new favourite of mine. And when asked by my friend Janet to help with her daughter's baby shower, I was stumped by what to do. Then my other good friend Sheri showed me this wonderful blog and its contents and, well, there you go...Ready To Pop!!!

The original box used by Jen at Scissors and Spatulas was purchased at a store. But I thought I would be able to compliment that design by using my Silhouette. It turned out so cute...I was so pleased. And the Silhouette of the pregnant lady was adorable. I finished her off by putting a cute pink bow in her hair.

The following recipe is what went in the popcorn boxes. It was so yummy. While I was stuffing the boxes, my kids would not stop eating it...They loved it so much. Not for the light hearted shall we say...Here is the recipe but you could also visit Jens' Blog for her take on the paarty favor...Enjoy!!!

Ready to Pop, White Chocolate Popcorn Mix!

3 bags microwave popcorn, popped

2 - 12 oz. packages premier white chocolate morsels

2 - 12.6 oz. bags chocolate coated candies (such as M&Ms)

Mix half of popcorn {1- 1/2 bags} and 1 bag of candy in a large bowl. Melt 1 bag white chocolate morsels in microwave at 75% power for 3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted. CAREFUL NOT TO BURN!!! Pour a small amount of chocolate over popcorn and stir to coat. Continue adding chocolate, a little at a time, until popcorn mix is fully coated. You will use about 2/3 of the white chocolate.

Spread popcorn mixture on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Using a spoon, drizzle remaining white chocolate over popcorn. Allow to cool for 1 hour before breaking popcorn mix into large chunks.

Repeat with remaining popcorn, candy and white chocolate.

Finally ready to talk...

2011-08-26T07:41:00.002-04:00

Why it has taken me so long to write this post, but alas, it has. I guess I just needed a break from talking about myself and this illness. But now I am done. I finished my Radiation on July 18. It was a momentous day and I was so happy. The happy tears came right after I finished my last treatment and I gave the girls in Radiation Suite Room 4 the biggest hugs. They were so good to me during my treatments. During my 5 weeks of treatments, I had very few side effects, which I was very thankful for. I did notice during my few last days of treatment that I began to have a little skin irritation and was told during my last treatment that it may get worse in the next couple of weeks. That in fact did occur. It was like a really bad sunburn. Very irritating and once it started to heal it began to peel just like a bad burn.
The thing is this...I crashed, big time....
The day after my treatments were done I truly expected to be elated, happy and felling like I was free at last. There was actually none of that. I was quite down that day and as I said I crashed. I could not get going that day...I cried a lot...I didn't want to see anyone...I didn't want to talk to anyone...My kids were very concerned that day...My husband came home early from work because he was worried about me...My mother was so consoling on the phone but it didn't work...I did no know what to do!!!
About 2:30 in the afternoon my family doctor called me...(he has been calling me about every two weeks to check up on me)...such a coincidence that he should call me that day.
His phone call started as all the other ones did...How are you??? I broke down into tears..Of joy, of fear, of stress or of madness. But he helped me into the right direction. He helped me see that despite how quickly this all occured and how well I had done physically to heal from everything that now it was time for my mental healing to occur. And this day was the start of it. Everything had happened so fast that mentally I didn't have time to grasp it all. I kept so busy prior to my surgery as a way to forget or try to escape from my own head that I had to start to heal now in my head and absorb how to incorporate all of this STUFF into my life and brain.
Well, now it is about 1 month and a week since that fateful day in July. I am so much better in so many ways. I have seen my Plastic Surgeon the end of July and he is good with everything. I am looking at more surgery in about a year. This is for furthur surgery on my breasts. Without going into too much details, it will make them look more even and symmetrical. I see him in January of 2012 and we will talk furthur about surgery then.
I have had a good summer with my boys and husband. The ability to see every football game has been such a luxury that I will never forget. I have been doing some fun things with the kids, going to movies, driving them to various sports camps and to top it off some camping and then to top it off a trip to Rogers Center last weekend to see my youngest, Jared and his team, win the first OVFL Provincial Championship for Cambridge Peewee Football. So exciting!!!
I have also filled my summer with crafting; which I truly know through this whole experience has been my peaceful, soulful time. I renovated my craft room prior to my surgery and to come down here to this wonderful peaceful, calming room has been absolutely necessary for me. I feel like nothing can hurt me in here. Probably silly to you all, but again absolutely necessary to me.
I cannot tell you how brave my husband Richard and sons, Simon and Jared have been this whole time. You know, people never really ask them how they are all doing through all of this. Such a shame really. They lived it as much as I did. They saw the happy and sad days and lived through it with me. I know they are so good and kind and I will never forget every hug, every kiss, and every encouraging word. I love them so much for that.
Something else I did this summer was fly home to Newfoundland to see my Mom and Dad. I went by myself and it was like my victory lap so to speak. If you remember, my mother and father came up to stay with me for 4 weeks after my surgery. I will never be able to thank them enough for that. But my Mom really wanted to see me after my treatments, so I decided in discussion with my family, that a trip home would be good for me. I was still healing and still pretty tired during the day but hoped that it would not matter too much. And it didn't. There were some flight delays but it was OK. I did get a little tired but it was all good. I got to see some family and see a lot of my town that I had not seen in almost 8 years. My mom and dad had moved into a new home and it was just lovely. I actually helped her with some decorating while I was there so it was so much fun.

Once I returned home from Newfoundland I continued to heal and rest. I was unaware of how long it would take to heal from Radiation. Dr. Gopaul told me it would take 2 months and he was so right. There are still days when I don't have energy to do much and I let those days be as they are. But the days of felling better are getting more frequent and less and less about healing. I look forward to my next doctors appointment on the 14th of September. I do hope Dr. Gopaul allows me to get back to work. We discussed it a little in our last meeting and he talked a little about returning at reduced hours for a bit. Makes sense to me too. But we shall see...
So I want to thank all of you as well...You all know who you are. I could not have done this without all of you supporting me. The calls, cards, flowers, emails, tweets, etc meant everything to me. Now I must finish...it has been too long a post as it is. Thanks for reading and I will update you as soon as I see Dr Gopaul in September.

Blogoversary Post....

2011-08-25T14:24:00.000-04:00

What better than on today, my blogoversary, than to show you my finished Scrapbook Space!!!

Do you remember this mess and then I got all organized and accomplished this before my surgery in March? Well, since then I have made a few changes. After working with my room for the last 3-4 months, I found a few things that were not working for me. First off were my Copics...I wasn't using them because they were in storage. When I had my surgery, my girls from work sent this wonderful gift of flowers and gift cards. The flowers came in this great steel tri-vase (is that a word?). Three steel vases that were welded togerther. So I knew I would find a place for that little treasure and sure enough my Copics fit just nicely in them.

I moved my Clip It Up over to this great little IKEA table. Fits perfectly there and with it right across from my desk, I visually am motivated to use those products regularly. And dont you love that NewPicture. Found it in a great store in Kitchener called HOME N T T.More on that place for another post. But when I saw it I had to have it. Yes, I could have tried to make it myself but it was one of those instant gratification things...Had to have it. It works perfectly where it is and I look at it all the time.

In the above and next pictures you can see black shelves all over the place. They were originally white in my room but just whipped some black paint on them and way to go ... Stamp storage. I love it...The stamps are out where I can see them and they are so easy to use when I just have to grab them.

You can also see how the above picture has changed. this shelf used to hold my Clip It Up with my printer and Silhouette. My laptop used to be on the main desk. It was not working. There was very little space left to create with my laptop in the way. So I moved it to where it is in the picture and it works just perfect now. Plus, I have much more space to create.

Then there is this little gem from IKEA, The wall over my
TV was very bare. I knew it needed something and I searched a long time before I found this little treasure and I could not be more pleased. It is the Fintorp collection at Ikea that did the trick. I am not sure if what is stored there now will stay, but it sure looks cute on that wall. Love it!

Well, there you have it...a few changes that have added up to me loving my room. I love coming down here to create. I feel so comfortable here and with everything so organized and pleasant to look at, it is easy to make projects. Only thing missing is a chair; a cozy plush, sit your ass down and read a book type of chair. That will come soon. Hope you enjoy!

Sketchabilities Reveal...

2011-08-15T07:01:00.003-04:00

You should all head over to Karan Gerbers' Blog for a great giveaway. Karan changed over her blog and lost all of her followers...so head over, follow her blog, make a comment about how you would use the 12x12 Echo Park Apothecary Emporium and you will have a chance to win a great paper pack that you will have lots of fun with!!!

Wedding Candle Makeover...

2011-08-06T13:50:00.002-04:00

My neice, Allie, is getting married this coming Saturrday. Only one week away...WOW!!! She asked me to make over the Unity Candle for the church ceremony. Her wedding is all about Silver, Fuschia and BLING...Lots of Bling!!!

Strated with this plain white candle...It was a little finicky...
(Is that a Word?)...

The wax was not glue friendly. There was a clear plastic covering over it and I had ripped that off...Not my brightest moment. I then decided to cover the entire candle with vellum.

Brighter Moment!!!

Used my Silhouette to cut the monogram and the silver lace border. Had this ribbon in my stash and it matched perfectly to her wedding invitation. Allie had those square rhinestone thingys in her stash.

I am almost happy with it...I want to work on their names a little. I don't like how you can see the vellum over the monogram. So...I will work on it and let you see the finished product when I am done. We are almost there...

Any sugestions about the name???

Sketchabilities Reveal...

2011-07-30T07:45:00.002-04:00

So excited to reveal my second layout for Sketchabilities today. Loved this sketch and hope you enjoy the detailed photos!

Bazzill...

2011-07-20T13:57:00.005-04:00

Do you ever have trouble finding that perfect cardstock color to match your pattern paper? Well this tool from Bazzill is fantastic. Enjoy!!!!

First Sketchabilities release....

2011-07-15T20:16:00.001-04:00

It is a happy day here in my scrappy den! I am showing off my first assignment for Sketchabilities. Loved the sketch and thrilled with my layout...Enjoy!!!

Blessed in the Moments...

2011-06-13T13:27:00.003-04:00

I must say that this is definitely my own design but some of the techniques were truly inspired by a tutorial given in a Two Peas in a Bucket Tutorial by Nichol Magouirk.

I was such an inspiring class to me and it made me get out some of my older Technique Tuesday stamps. I was so happy making this layout...it was so much fun. It did take me a long time to put it together but well worth it...Enjoy!!!

Love this corrugated cardstock from Crative Imaginations. used my Tim Holtz Elegant Flourishes Die Cut. So nice!!!

It started with the Loves me, Loves me not Large stamps. You can see on the layout which ones I used and how I colored them using my Copics Markers.

For the smaller petals, I used the smaller set of the same set. It worked lovely!

For my title I used the Technique Tuesday Paris Nights Capital Letters Large. Once they were stamped I colored them again with the Copics using the same colors as the petals of the flowers. I did try the same techniue as Nichol used by enhancing the color at the bottom of each letter.

The most fun I had was creating these twine circular flowers. I had something similar to this in my local scrapbook store. I think they were made by Fancy Pants, Anyway, I saw them in the store and thought I have so much twine at home and I could easily make something similar.

I started with punching a circle in a brown cardstock. I placed a small dot of liquid glue in the center of the die cut and then stuck the twine in the center until it was adhered well. Then I placed a bead of liquid glue around the outisde and adhered the twine to it. And progressively placed bead of glue around the die to adhere twine until I reached the edges of the circular die cut.

Once you get to the outside it may not reach the edge of the die cut perfectly, so just give the cardstock a quick trim to match the edge of the twine. To adhere the end of the twine make sure you put a bead of glue on the end and rub it in to the edge until it is dry. As you can see in the layout I mad two small circles of twine and then a larger one. Love the contrast of the two different sizes.

Sketchabilities News...

2011-06-12T23:36:00.003-04:00

I am so happy to share some happy news with all of you...I made the Sketchabilities Design Team!! There will be a group of 15 of us that will create a page twice a month based upon a sketch that Karan provides us. I have always liked her sketches and am looking forward to working with them. I have placed a list on the side of my blog so that you may visit the talented designers that will accompnay me on this 3 month journey. Thanks Karan for choosing me along with these talented ladies. A quick shout out to my fellow designers to say "Hello".

Microwave Flowers...

2011-06-08T06:17:00.002-04:00

I have seen the following technique in many tutorials on the internet and thought it would look so lovely on a set of cards that I was completing. As you can see I used a large 3 inch scalloped circle punch and a smaller flower punch.

I used the Making Memories English Garden Paper collection to make my cards and then a pulled 4 sheets from the same pad of paer to use for the punches.

Get a container of water and place each die cut flower in the water. Do this slowly and a few flowers at a time so as to not rip them when pulling them out of the water.

Once you pull them out, squeeze them carefully to get the excess water out.

Once you have them crumpled, place them in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. The smaller the flower the less amount of time. When they come from the microwave, they are delicate and need to be pulled apart carefully because they rip if not careful.

As you can see the flowers once pulled apart are crumpled and dry and raised.

Now I will present a couple of different things I did with them.

Take one of the larger scallop circles and place and emboss it. I used my Big Shot and used a Sizzix embossing folder to get the polka dot look. Adhere the smaller flowers and place a button in the center.

Place three sets of flowers down one side of card and adhere a crystal in the center ofr a little bling.

Adhere a large scallop circle, then a smaller flower. using a coordinating ribbon, make a bow and place a small decorative stickpin in the center of bow and then adhere to center of flower.

More embossing with a brad...

New Plans...

2011-06-07T06:58:00.001-04:00

The phone call came...finally!!! I would like to say that I have been waiting patiently but I can't. On Sunday I had a bad day. I know I should be thankful. I know I should feel blessed that things are not worse. I know that everyone says I am strong but I didn't feel it on Sunday. But on that day, I crashed. I was tired of waiting. I wanted to get this radiation done and heal and get back to a life where I am not anticipating the next treatment. But that was Sunday...
Monday I woke up and felt much better. I am thankful, blessed and so calm today...and then the call came. I start radiation next Monday, June 13 for 5 weeks. So grateful that I can go to Grand River Cancer Center instead of driving to Hamilton everyday.
So I had a bad day...and I think I am entitled...but it has passed and now we move on to treaments, healing and the new plans...

A great book and movie...

2011-06-06T09:39:00.003-04:00

I have a great book to share with you...But first I have to start with an old book! Does anyone remember this book? I have to say that I did not read this first book of Scott Turow. I almost wish I had but it is OK. But I did see the movie. Apparently when this book cam out in 1987, it cam with lots of critical acclaim. So many people and critics loved it. It quickly came with a movie deal for the author and the movie I did see. I remember when this movie came out...such a great mystery and of course it was starring my favourite leading man. Love Harrison Ford!!!

It was such a wonderful mystery that revolved around Rusty Sabich and how he was a Prosecutor placed in charge of finding the person who murdered his mistress. Very convoluted movie...it was Fabulous!!! Watch the clip...Do you remember the movie???

And then I was in the mood to read another book because I enjoyed the last two that I mentioned here. It was a wonderful escape to a great mystery novel. Scott Turow was very reluctant to write a sequel to his initial novel. He states in a couple of online interviews that I read that stated he has thought it is an authors demise to write a sequel to such a popular novel. Well Mr. Turow, I am no critic, but you hit it dead on for me. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone. It is written such that you don't even need to read the first novel. There is enough history provided in this one to give you what you need to understand the history of the characters. Just fabulous!!!

PICNIK....

2011-06-01T04:06:00.001-04:00

No we are not going on a PICNIC...we are not going ot eat hotdogs and throw a frisbee...we are going to PICNIK. OK I have to give credit where credit is due. I have found this great photo editing website because of Thrifty Chick Decor. I was happy, and amazed at how quick I could make my OK photos look that pretty with this website. I would love to have time to learn all the fancy ways to truly edit phtos. I would love to have time to take the many photo classes offered out there in photo land, but alas I don't. So therefore I am going to use PICNIK. Just the sweetest deal I have found. One of those simple things that just makes ya smile...
Just go take a quick look, upload a photo and see how quick you can turn BLAH into WOW...Take a look...

I just posted this picture a couple of days ago on my blog. I always thought that it could be so much more vibrant. That cardianl visits my bird feeder most days. Sure it might not be the same cardinal but I stickin with it. I swear he has the same black face.

Look at what I did with Picnik.Isn't he much more vibrant and I played with the saturation and it looks much more warm.

I also love how I can put pictures side by side showing my before and after with the subtle changes that I made with saturation and sharpness. The bird food looks even more colorful. I have just begun to play.

Make it a great day!!!

Nice News...

2011-05-31T18:52:00.001-04:00

I knew that I would be having many CT scans over the next years to keep on top of my lungs and make sure nothing was brewing. But I had so many scans in April; that I was surprised that Dr. Corbett wanted to do another prior to my radiation starting. I don't know why it bothered me (actually, I did). I didn't want to know if there was anything there! I did not think I could handle it!!!! But that moment was very brief and I realized that I did want to know. I had my scan on a Monday and while having the scan, I felt very confident. I just had a feeling that everything was OK. I know I had had that feeling before but this time felt different. I then went about my week, making life busy with cleaning, cooking, sports and lots of reading. On the following Tuesday, my family doctor's office called to tell me that everything was OK! I can hardly explain it; but I broke into spontaneous tears of joy...You get the scan done, you put it out of your mind, you can't worry about something you have no control over, you do the things of life and you live. But when that call comes, the enormity of the news completely envelopes you and there is uncontrolled, convulsive tears of joy. Thank you God, you who are Holy and special in my life, for the wonderful news and now we move on and continue to live doing the things of life and be happy in the special moment of knowing you are once again healthy...

Gossamer Ribbon Flowers....

2011-05-31T02:00:00.004-04:00

One day I was looking for a flower to match a layout I was working on. Now we all know that necessity is the mother of invention. I have also tried to make a commitment to use what products I have in my scrapbook room other than buy more stuff. I have enough in here to last me forever! So off I went to my stash to see how I could make a flower. Now I could have used paper and a die cut but I wanted something softer. Off to my ribbon it was!! And voila ... this is what I came up with. All I really did was use a ruffling technique that I used many a time during my sewing days. Just goes to show that what ever you learn will become useful at some point in your life.

Gather a selection of Gossamer ribbon...fancy name for the ribbon you can see through...you know the stuff...soft like gauze. You will need a pair of scissors and some thread. You can match the thread to your ribbon but I just use cream ribbon because you won't see the thread once you have completed the flower.

Start threading the ribbon front to back as seen in the photo. After a few stitches, stop threading.

Take the end of the ribbon and tie a knot as seen so that you stabilize the thread so that it does not unthread as you continue to thread the rest of the ribbon.

Now continue to thread the entire ribbon to the end.

Now begin to do the bunching/ruffling. Just pull the ribbon over the thread until it is all pulled to the end where you placed the first initial knot.

Take both ends of the ribbon once it is completely pulled and ruffled and tie the ends together...try to perform a double knot.

Now you get to play with it a little bit. It is pliable and you can arrange the petals (for lack of a better word) as you want.

Don't forget to snip the ends of the ribbon ends where you tied them so that they don't show through your flower.

Using any type of embellishment you wish, place it in the center over the hole of the gather. Place on a layout or card and enjoy!!!

As you see here, I have used a brown flower on the layout seen. So pretty in brown with a cream rosette in the center...Enjoy!!!

New Layouts....

2011-05-30T07:37:00.001-04:00

Since feeling better this last few weeks, I have ventured towards my scraproom for something other than playing on my laptop or watching TV...Enjoy!!!

In My Backyard...

2011-05-29T17:57:00.002-04:00

This year we have had the prettiest little animals helping themselves to our bird feeder. It sits right outside our living room window and has been such a pleasure to watch during the spring. The ravens and squirrels have had lots to eat as well.

Good Vibrations...

2011-05-28T07:31:00.003-04:00

I really must try to become more original with the titles of these posts but I digress....

So the Good News; but a little background first. My Radiation Oncologist told me that if this Cancer were to return, it would most likely return in my Lung because of the proximity of the tumour to my left lung so I would be having serial Chest CT Scans and Chest Xrays frequently until they thought I didn't need to anymore (Who knows how long that will be and I forgot to ask...next appointment). Anyway I had them done about 1 1/2 weeks ago and got the results on Wednesday...We are in the clear...everything was negative...This is where we sing the song "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark

And I'm here to prove to you

that we can party on the positive side

and pump positive vibes

so come along for the ride

I really do believe that I am on a roll here with Positive Vibrations...I feel good about things right now and for the future...And I have always loved that song from Marky Mark...Great anthem of dance music from the 90's.

Something else that got me through the couple of weeks after my diagnosis was my friend Janet giving me these two books. I was ready to escape from my brain so reading was perfect and these two books did not disappoint. The prevailing feeling of hope in the two of them was just what I was in the mood for. Loved them and thanks Janet for knowing that I would enjoy them. I really suggest that you try to find them and read them.

"The Secret Daughter" was a retreat on a very sunny day here in Cambridge. I was having a bad morning...nothing seemed to want to work right...I was not sleeping well at all on those nights...usually up at 3-4 AM. At 630 in the morning, in total frustration, I made a coffee, headed out to the patio and started the book. The sun was high in the sky before I moved. I read the whole book that morning. It was glorious. I had never done that before. Just wasted a whole morning reading. But was it really wasted...Once I was done, I felt great!!! Happy, relaxed, hopeful, joyful, inspired and this greasy little grin on my face about how I had enjoyed such a guilty pleasure of reading the entire morning. It was wonderful!!! It was a moment where I knew that despite what I was going through, there are stories out there much worse than my own, much more turbulent than my own and more dramatic than my own. This gave me perspective on that day. It was no accident that I had read this book on that morning. The best thing about it all was I got a great sun kissed look that morning because the weather was beautiful. So good all around.

I remember this book from a long time ago. "Where The Heart Is" was on Oprah Book Club selection in 1998. I remember thinking when she announced it I was not intrigued by the tag line...A girl gets abandoned in a Walmart and go on to create a life for herself...That is very simplified but that is how I remember it. Over the years, I have picked it up in many book stores and debated about buying it, but never did . When Janet gave me this one, it sat in my house for a long time before I picked it up. When I did pick it up it was another day of not feeling so good...The post op recovery was coming very slowly and that particular morning I was aching from head to toe...not sleeping great and cranky. Again I started to read shortly after the boys went off to school. Was I so happy that I did it. I couldn't read the whole morning because I had appointments...but I read a good portion to the point where I could hardly put it down. And it is such a hopeful, inspiring read. I was so glad that I finally was reading another book. Thanks again Janet for such a wonderful diversion.

I have always loved to read and am so glad that I have the concentration back enough to settle with a good book. Last night I purchased two new books; Mystery books. I will share when they are done...which if history speaks for me, it won't take too long.

Make it a wonderful Saturday...Hug someone you love and be nice to yourself...

The "NEW" Normal...

2011-05-26T09:22:00.001-04:00

When last we chatted, (OK I type, you read) I was 10 days post op and doing pretty good. I was fairly pleased with how things were going and just kept taking each day as it came. So much has occured since then...And I have so much to tell you. Most noteworthy is the evolution that has has taken place.

As I mentioned in my last post, I was headed off to Scrapfest which was April 8 and 9. I was so looking forward to this weekend; it had been my goal during my recovery to attend and have fun. It was during this event that I truly learned how extensive this surgery was and how very little stamina I actually had postop. I tried my best to put on a brave face and look like everyone else...shopping, visiting with old friends, and scrapbooking at the large crop that Lisa held. Trying my best to look "Normal". But alas, it took me three days to recover from the "fun" that I wanted to have. On Saturday afternoon, I kept trying to push and keep going further but my body gave up long before my brain was willing to give up. I eventually went home and spent literally 3 days on the couch and was quite ill. I will not forget those 3 days because it was then that I truly realized things were not "Normal" and that it would take a long time to get over all of this. But I believed at that time that once I healed things would return to "Normal" once I saw both of my physicians at the end of April. They would give me the green light to go on with my life.

My Mom and Dad headed home on April 18. They were invaluable to me and my family was so grateful for their presence for those 4 weeks. I was so nervous about them leaving because while my Mom was here she hardly would let me do anything, which was great, but anticipating her leaving gave me a great feeling of trepidation. I was not sure how much I would be able to do...let alone cook a meal, do laundry, clean a toilet, etc... But I was surprised that once they were gone, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace. Yes, I did miss them terribly, but I was finally in a favourite place of mine; solitude and quiet. I have always and will always love that quiet, peaceful alone time. I continued to have daily visits from my fabulous Home Care Nurse, Kerri. I actually looked forward to her arrival each day because she would allow me to ramble on about how I was feeling and new developments that had come up. I was always trying to shield my husband and kids from all of that trying to keep things "Normal". Yes, I cried a lot and felt self pity on occasion during my alone time. Recovering from this surgery was very tough and even though people continuously said you are so brave and strong...I truly did NOT feel that at all. I did sometimes get tired of hearing that because at times it was so far from the truth. But the familial trait of keeping a tough upper lip prevailed and I got through it all.

Just as I was starting to feel a little confident and was starting to gain a little strength and stamina back in my body I headed off to Hamilton for my two postop appointments. Never did I think for one small moment that I was about to get the news that I did receive at that appointment. Richard and I headed off to the Juravinski Cancer Clinic on April 20 to meet with Dr. Hodgson. She is a fabulously caring and compassionate doctor and I don't know how they ever get used to delivering bad news to their patients. But alas, that it was she had for me that day. Despite 4 benign biopsies, my "7 INCH" tumor (Yes, you read that right) turned out to be Malignant! You could have picked me up off the floor because my legs came right out from underneath me. I really believed that it was going to be benign because of the 4 biopsies that I had done. I cursed a little, cried a little, held my husbands hand and then eventually sat in silence. Dr. Hogdson proceeded to tell me that despite this news, the margins of my tumor were clean and there was no lymph node involvement. So, a little good news in the midst of it all. She then told me that she was referring me to the Sarcoma Clinic at the Juravinski Cancer Clinic. Even though this tumor was in my breast, that technically it is not a typical Breast Cancer even though it is termed as such. Phylloides tumors account for 1% of all worldwide Breast Cancers. And of that 1%, only 10% are malignant. Pretty Rare!!!! Years ago it was classified as a Sarcoma of sorts.

That drive home was just nasty. I have never seen Richard and I so quiet. An eerie silence. An uncomfortable moment in time where one did not know what to say to the other. My sense of "Normal" was being further altered. I did not think I could take it. It wasn't about just healing from the surgery and going on with my life anymore. It was about something totally new that at that moment in time I wanted nothing to do with!!!! I became very angry in that drive home. I didn't ask for this! What had I done in my past to cause this? Did I not take care of myself enough? I had a young family...A loving husband...Parents who love me...two brothers who had told me they were not prepared to loose me to any illness yet...a job I loved despite it's craziness...two friends (you know who you are)who I wanted to get to know even better that I did...things I had not done with my life yet...I could go on...

But then I felt this overwhelming sense of peace and calm once again. I let my brain be quiet. The Cancer was not in my body anymore. It had been removed. All of my scans were normal preop. At that moment in time I was Cancer Free!!!! Despite the news, I was in the clear.

Whatever was going to come my way over the next years, I knew that I would be taken care of very well. Because of all the things mentioned above, I was going nowhere and I planned on staying put and completing everything that I was meant to be; a wife, a mother, a daughter, a friend, a worker and most of all - healthy!!!

With my renewed sense of confidence from the drive home I put on my brave face and told the boys what had gone on and that despite the news Mom was healthy and was going to get even more healthy. Again giving them the perception that everything was going to return to "Normal". We did not really talk about it much. They seemed like they wanted to return to what it was they had been doing when we got home. Mom had dinner on the table and life continued. Richard and I made all the calls to the family and friends but quickly told everyone we did not want any calls because we just wanted to digest this news and we did not want to keep talking about it.

A few short weeks later, Richard and I headed to the Sarcoma Clinic. I must say that all my bravado the day I got the news had been slowly washed away by the time I was sitting in Dr. Corbetts' (Radiation Oncologist) office. He delivered the news very matter-of-factly; all the statistics and what my treatment would be. I did not expect (I guess I had no expectations) to hear that I would need 5 weeks of Radiation. Apparently my tumor was a little to close to my lung as the tumor was quite posterior in my chest. And that clean edge of the tumor was only 0.8 mm. So it is prophylactically at this point. So here we are. I am having my radiation In Kitchener; therefore I do not have to drive to Hamilton everyday. A true blessing!!!

But my story has gotten a little away from me. The title of this post " A "NEW" Normal" was where we started. As the last 8 weeks have progressed my children, my husband and myself have begun to realize (through a few instances with the kids, husband and their interactions with me) that the old "Normal" is gone and will be forever. My strained attempts at trying to achieve that old "Normal" have failed and should have failed. This will always be with us. It has blended it's way into our lives. It has changed us as a family. It has changed us forever, many of the changes are good ones. We talk about Cancer now. We discuss things about my health. We are going to information classes together. We are going to learn about this together. We are going to HEAL together. We are going to love together and get through one of the most amazing struggles we have ever been presented with. With each other and the love of God, the power of prayer and the strength from family and friends...I will beat this...It will not take me down...I have too much to offer yet!!!

So welcome to our "NEW NORMAL"!!!! Join us on the Ride!!!!

On the Mend...

2011-04-05T20:00:00.001-04:00

I can hardly believe it is April 5!!! The last 10 days have passed by in a bit of a blur and whirlwind of activity. My surgery went well on March 25 and I returned home on March 29. What a wonderful feeling it was to step outside and take that first breath of fresh air after 4 days in hospital. The staff at Hamilton General Hospital were absolutely fabulous...I could not have asked for better care. My physicians; Dr Avram, Dr. Hogdson, Dr Chung, Dr. Strumus, and Dr Olivierri were beyond fantastic. Many thanks and praise to each and everyone of you.
Well as of today, I am 10 days post op. And for all intents and purposes, I am doing great!!! Even if I do say so myself. The 10 days have not gone without its bumps though. there were some days when I felt like total crap and wondered what the hell I had done to myself, self-pity ensued and lots of crying. But those moments which were few were overcome with many moments of pure joy, knowing that the surgery was done, I was healing well and everyday there were major leaps in my physical condition. I still have a long way to go...I still have 2 abdominal drains, daily visits from the home care nurse for dressing changes and only half of the 85 or so staples in my abdomen are out. I move very slowly and am not allowed to do much at home...My darling Mom and Dad have come for several weeks to help me and my family...which has been a God send as my family would have no clean clothes or food to eat if it was dependent on me right now. My postop appointment with my surgeon; Dr Avram is April 20 and I hope he will then return me to some normal activities. I know I will not be allowed to lift , push or pull heavy items for up to 4 months but it certainly would be nice to be able to do a few things around the house. In time; In time!!!
But today was a great day. Went to visit my darling husband at his work today, got my nails done, got some seriously needed waxing completed and at present am sitting with my sweet hubby in Starbucks in Waterloo drinking a coffee, blogging while he does some work on his laptop and waiting for my son's football practice to be completed. Life is good today...I feel normal! I think I will do little tomorrow but it felt good today.
I cannot go without saying thank you to the many cards, flowers, and gifts that have arrived over the last weeks. When I am feeling better, the Thank You's will go out.
I am headed off to Scrapfest this weekend for a couple of hours on Saturday to spend some time with some old friends, some new friends and to do a little (okay maybe alot!!!) of shopping. Take care and I will be back within the next week for furthur updates.

how was the weekend?

2011-03-28T07:58:00.002-04:00

The sun has done nothing but shine all weekend!! Lots of progress over the weekend as the breathing tube and IV have been removed. This has allowed for Judy to actually get up and get over to the WC! She has also begun to eat, and it is tasting good. By all accounts things are moving forward quite nicely.

I just got off the phone with my duckie and she has been given "the star patient" award by the surgical team!! More things will be removed today, and meds changed/lessened. There is already talk of coming home!! Stay tuned.

A successful day!

2011-03-26T09:38:00.001-04:00

Hubbie Richard here, posting on behalf of " the Diva":

Well, that was a long day! I left the hospital at about 10:00. The surgery was successful! Almost exactly eight hours under the knife and from all returns, all is good. Judy was very happy to have come through and just having woken up. The past six weeks have been a crazy roller coaster of emotions and heady, quick decisions.

The staff have been great, under trying circumstances. The Hospital is under renovations so things are really tight. I will be going down again shortly, with the boys coming later with Nannie and Poppy.

Having just spoken with her, she had a bit a rough night trying to balanace off the pain meds. whatever cocktail she was on was makeing her woozy and lowered her b/p. It appears that all is better now. Judy has also been given a green light to regular diet, which is anither great sign.

The only thing left is get her verticle! Thanks for all of your prayer and concerns. I will update this when I can.

She will likely be in Hospital into Wednesday. The Blackberry is up and running and will be the best way to contact her.

Taking the plunge...

2011-03-24T21:43:00.002-04:00

Well boys and girls, tomorrow is the big day. I have done all that I can do to be prepared. I have read a lot of info. I have been well informed by my physicians. And I have a very large tumor in my breast now that I am very ready to be rid of. I am not going to lie to you; today has been a mixed bag of emotions...laughing, happy, sad, miserable, and mostly nervous. But after all of the emotions and all of the great encouragement messages today; I am confident that I am going to do fine. Just everyone do me a little favor tonight and tomorrow; hug someone you love and thank God that you have them.
Take care and as soon as I am able I will update my blog.

New and Improved Scrapbook Room...

2011-03-21T20:08:00.003-04:00

It is Done! And I am so pleased with how it all came together. Remember the mess in this post. I remember the chaos of never being able to find something when I knew I had it, always moving something to try to create something new and although I thought my room was organized; it wasn't. It certainly is now!!! And it feels so good. I know where everything is. I know everything I own (I certainly do not need to purchase any new product for quite some time; even though I know I will).
It started with purchasing the larger of the cabinets and I then decided that now was the time to create a space that would be inviting and warm. East to create in and comfortable. Now there are some things that are not done, but I wanted to show you where we stand right now.
I went from yellow walls to this wonderful grey taupe. I just love it. Once it was on one wall it felt mature and opposed to the juvenile yellow. It is so warm in the room now. Once I had the color on the walls I knew that I was not willing to change the drape on the cutting table; so I decided then that red, black and white would prefectly match the walls. And oh boy, does it work or what!!

Behind that drape is the water softener, furnace and other stuff. I will eventually place a door there but for now the curtain looks great. Love the puddling of it on the floor. Gives it a softer look. The bureau was a great buy at IKEA. It was a floor model with a little damage on one of the back legs. So I only had to pay 127.00 dollars for it. Very happy!!

This is the larger cabinet that I purchased from IKEA that started this whole reno. I was so pleased with how it organized my stuff that it motivated me to begin the entire reno.

Lovin where my Clip It Up sits now. So easily accesible. I swear that it was only half filled when I started my organization and now there are hardly any spots left on it.

So this is on the opposite side of the larger cabinet. It just feels so good to sit at this desk. Everything has a place!!

Just wanted to show you some images of what is on top and in some of the cabinets.

My basket of stamps will soon have a wonderful new home but that will be in a furthur post. Did not have time to get that part of the reno completed for this post.

Storage Dreams...

2011-03-12T09:58:00.003-05:00

I have made a few trips to Ikea over the last week. I have always loved my friend Janet's scrapbook space. It is organized, tidy with clean lines. My goal to try to achieve the same look. With the following items purchased, I hope to make some definite improvements in my scrapbook space. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Closed for Renovation...

2011-03-11T22:23:00.005-05:00

Yes everyone...Now that I seem to have a little extra time on my hands for the next couple of weeks; I have decided to close the scrapbook room for renovations. As you can see from the pictures below; my room has had many personalities over the years. I have grown tired of the many personalities and have decided to streamline the look a little. Over the next couple of days I will show you some of the things that will be changing. I have completely purged over the last week and several of you (you know who you are) have received some of my castoffs. Glad that some of my things have found a new home. Thanks to those of you who have relieved me of some of my dysfunctional stoarge ideas.

I scrapbook in this room. I sew in this room. My laptop is in this room. I have a TV and DVD Player in this room. I definitely multitask in this room. Once upon a time I would like to have everything out in the open so as to grab it whenever I need it. I am starting to wish that everything has a place and tucked away in nice containers. Therefore, that is what is going to happen. I will share pictures over the next days to let you know how it is going. Enjoy the scattered, messy pictures below. Many BEFORE pictures!!!

Very Quick Update...

2011-03-10T09:22:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to let eveyone know that my family physician called me today to let me know that my Bone Scan was normal...YIPPEE!!! Just waiting for results on my abdominal/pelvic/lung CT Scan. They are going to track those results down for me today and call me back later about that as well.
Off to Hamilton today to meet with the Plastic Surgeon, Dr Avram...Great physician.
Will let you know how that goes as well.