Stampin' Royalty Challenge #87- Miss Wiggins School Stuff Box

Welcome to another Stampin' Royalty Challenge! This weeks challenge is based around the back to school season. I'm going to start this post off by telling you that the box shown below was totally not my idea. I first saw it on the wicked awesome eighteen25 blog (do yourself a favour and check out their blog) and have wanted to make it ever since. This challenge got my butt in gear and voilà!

This sweet  goodie box will fit in my mailbox in the staffroom and has everything I could need as far as office supplies go. I no longer have a desk in the staffroom so this will help me avoid having to run upstairs whenever I need something. The classroom I work in is upstairs and I'm quite lazy. Laziness and necessity paired together can be beautiful, eh? 

And for those of you that want to see what's in it...neat, huh? I want to add a sewing kit and some more pencils and such to it but I loved all the colourful clips and erasers that I found at Zellers so much that I thought they'd make for a much more interesting photo. Besides, I couldn't find a bottle of hard liquor small enough for the spaces provided. ; ) What else would you add to it?

Please head over to the Stampin' Royalty Blog to see what the rest of the Goddesses have come up with. Don't forget to leave them some blog love! If you decide to play along with us, make sure you put SR87 keyword in whatever gallery you upload to.

Speaking of blog love, Blogger has a problem with me commenting on blogs that have the "comments embedded at end of post" option. It keeps kicking me back to the Blogger sign in page. Very frustrating as I've seen many beautiful projects that I try to comment on to no avail. I've sent an e-mail complaint but it still hasn't been fixed. For those of you that have that option on your blog, I'm sure I'm not the only one having this problem so you may be missing out on some blog love.

I mentioned in my last post about balance and losing weight. Well, I ate lots of fruits and vegetables and even went for 2 long walks. Yay me. Ske-doosh.

FS238- Lydia!!!

This has to be really quick because it's 2 am. Forgive me for not posting the recipe for this card but I figure it's pretty straight forward so you guys will forgive, right? So one of my fave interweb blogging friends is the Featured Stamper at SCS this week. How fitting as she is also the Community Manager and all around awesome SCS guru. Lydia is awesome. I love her wit and quirkiness and really love her card making style. It was fun to poke around her gallery and find a card to case. I hope I did hers justice. Bed time for Big B. Ske-doosh.

One Layer Raining Note

stamps: raining flowers, for your birthday

ink: pparty, ccoral, iindigo, wwonder, llimeade, bblack

paper: ccake

accessories: jumbo eyelet, oraganza ribbon, linen thread, samj, top note die

There's nothing I love more than a cool one layer card. This one is no exception. You could produce this one in mass quantities in no time flat. Although, I'd have to switch out the jumbo brad for something else because I'm hoarding mine. I don't often have negative things to say about my favourite company, but someone was asleep at the switch when they retired the jumbo brads. I've ordered so many pack of those things that I alone could keep the item profitable. *sigh* I'm going to miss them when they're all gone.

I spent the day sewing yesterday. I'm making agenda covers for our teaching agendas at work. I'm not making them for everyone but just for a few friends that like that sort of thing. I have to remind myself that not everyone likes handmade stuff. (pregnant pause)

I know, right?

It's bloody hard to imagine. I look around on Pinterest and blogs and I get giddy with the thought of all the stuff I'd like to make. If I had nothing but time and disposable income, I think my house would look like a craft magazine threw up in it. I saw a really cool photo wall on I Am Mommy, Hear Me Roar and I'm officially starting to collect frames and goodies to make my own. I'll post pics whenever it actually gets done. Remember? Balance, eh? Ske-doosh.

Inkspirations Colour Challenge #84- Stitched Miss You

Here's the colour combination:

And here's my card:

stamps: up, up, & away, woodgrain

ink: tango, concord, daffodil

paper: tango cs, daffodil cs, concord cs, whisper cs

accessories: concord, tangerine and black journaling marker, 3/4" and 1" circle punches, medium white brad, concord ribbon, stapler, SAMJ, and my awesome sewing machine

When I first saw the colour combo, I thought "Uh-oh..." but this card came together really easily! Well, relatively easily...the flower took a few tries to line up the balloons. And I think I had the shakes when I did the stapling up in the corner...and the zigzag stitch is a wee tight. I need to stop drinking and stamping... *snicker*.

Skyler did the crumpling of the card stock for me, though. He likes to stamp with his mama. I thought that Logan was the artsy fartsy one, and even though he's great at drawing, he doesn't have much patience for stamping. Skyler likes the steps and organization of my kind of stamping. Wouldn't that be awesome if he got bit by the stamping bug?!

Phil and I both started back to work today and I'm really excited about this coming school year! I'm looking forward to getting back into the groove of things and I'm going to do my best to keep my blog up to date while juggling every thing else. I'm going to try to be all about balance this year. I'm going to do my best to lose some weight. Well, I'm going to try for losing a lot of weight, actually. I'm not going to write out a whole diatribe on why I'm overweight, what I'm going to do to lose weight and yadda yadda yadda. Just know that it would make me happy to know that there are blog readers out there that struggle with the same issue and that I have your pompoms flying for me. : )

Check out what the rest of the ladies came up with this week. As per usual, there's no way you could possibly be disappointed. Don't forget to leave some blog lovin', yo. Ske-doosh.

Inkspirations Challenge Blog Cindy Kirsty Makeesha Renée Brandi {---Zombie! Carrie Helen Ilina Lee-Anne Marisa

Stampin' Royalty Challenge #86

stamps: something to celebrate, grunge rock

ink: old olive

paper: bblack cs, wwhite cs

accessories: glitter...everywhere. black, turquoise, and concord markers, sticky paper, rhinestones, corner rounder, black 1/8" taffeta ribbon, dimensionals.

I am *not* a glitter girl. I don't normally put glitter on my projects. Why? Because I can't stand how it spreads everywhere. I'm sparkly. My kids are sparkly. My tall, handsome, hairy husband is sparkly. Sparkly hair, man! All because of this card. Or because I don't clean up after myself very well. Whatever.

To get the mega rainbow strip of rampant glitter, I cut progressively larger strips of sticky paper and placed them one by one onto the white cardstock. I then peeled back the protective layer on one strip, added the plague-like glitter making sure that there was full coverage and repeated over and over until I could taste glitter in the back of my throat. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy...with glitter floating on top.

Please take the time to head over to the Stampin' Royalty Blog to check out what the other rubber nerds have come up with. Of course, I say rubber nerds with the utmost respect and affection. : )

Ske-doosh.

Brandi Buttons

stamps: something to celebrate

ink: black

paper: crumb cake and all colors listed in my name

accessories: gingham ribbom, losta buttons, 1" circle punch, white embroidery thread, black marker, eyelets

Out of all the DTGD challenges this year, I think this one was the most inventive. What's in a Name? Well, in mine there's:

B- Baja Blue

R- Real Red

A- Always Artichoke

N- Night of Navy

D- Daffodil Delight

I- Island Indigo

Neat, huh? I love buttons. I used to think I was a ribbon freak but I think buttons are my weakness. I have to stop myself from buying them because I already have so many. I hoard the really cool ones. Who knows why...it's not like I'll do anything groundbreaking with them. They're just so pretty. : ) What do you hoard?

Ske-doosh.

Inkspirations Sketch Challenge #83- Raining Thanks

Here's the sketch:

And here's my card:

stamps: raining flowers, letter it, thank you kindly

ink: tangerine, wasabi, night of navy, cobbler

paper: textured white cs, brights stack dsp, cobber cs, navy cs, first edition dsp

accessories: linen thread, silver eyelet, cobbler seam tape, dimensionals, stamp-a-ma-jig

Demos who attended Convention this summer received Raining Flowers in their bag and I couldn't be happier about it! I use it a lot because it's so easy to create a cute card with. Flowers are not really my forté but this set makes it really easy to love them.

I ordered the Letter It alphabet set using my SAB rewards and I *love* it! I think I have a love affair with alpha sets in general. They can be used for backgrounds, titles, monograms, ransom letters. All kinds of good stuff... ; )

Please go visit the rest of the team's blog to tell them how awesome they are!

Inkspirations Challenge Blog Cindy Kirsty Makeesha Renée Brandi Carrie Helen Ilina Lee-Anne Marisa

Ske-doosh.

Stampin' Royalty? Who me? Why yes, I am...

Want to know why? Because I was asked to be a part of the Stampin' Royalty Goddesses over at the Stampin' Royalty Blog, that's why! I'm excited to have yet another reason to stamp on a regular basis. I've made a bit of a resolution to myself that I'm gonig to stop procrastinating my stamping responsibilities...snort. I keep telling myself that I work well under pressure but, in reality, it stresses me out and that's not what stamping is supposed to be for me. It's supposed to be my retreat. My zen.

So, thank you to all of the wicked awesome ladies at the Stampin' Royalty blog for helping me find my zen. LOL! If you haven't already visited the blog or had the pleasure of the paper eye candy these chicks pump out on a consistent basis, head over and say hi to Sandra Farrell, Angela McKay, Georgie Manning (my sister from another mother), Jenn Pickard (a.k.a. Pick-erd), Stasia Sloma, and Carrie Rhoades...but not before you check out what I made for my very first SR challenge!

                                                                   Here's the sketch:

And here's my card:

stamps: greeting card kids, woodgrain BG, teeny tiny wishes

ink: basic black, tangerine tango, chocolate chip

paper: ttango cs, cchip cs, just add cake dsp, water color paper

accessries: lots of markers ; ), blender pens, brights designer buttons, linen thread, scalloped dotted choc. chip ribbon, corner rounder punch, dimentsionals, black journal marker

I absolutely adore this set and I really don't use it as much as I should. I'm not a big giver of Halloween cards...heck, I'm not a big giver of ANY cards, to tell you the truth. It's kind of nuts that I make and make and make and make all of these cards but give so few. I have a lot of friends that buy my cards from me to give away to friends and family...uhhh...is that what we're *supposed* to do with them?! Huh. Go figure.

Ske-doosh.

Vacation, coffee, and the internet...

And he says I'm addicted to the internet.

The photo is blurry but I think the chocolate joy translates anyhow.

For some reason, Blogger won't let me upload the rest of the photos that would complete the series of hilarious faces Logan made after having slurp a very hot gulp of hot chocolate. Use your imaginations.

Ske-doosh.

Blue Care

stamps: because I care

ink: basic black

paper: whisper white

accessories: celery 1/8" taffeta ribbon, marina, baja, indigo olive, celery, daffodil and tangerine markers, black journaling marker, rectangle handheld punch

This is another card from the DTGD challenges at SCS. Karen Barber challenged us to marker layering and I'm so happy she did. I really thought this look could only be had using Copics. I refuse to start buying them because I know if I do, I will. Never. Stop. I know I'll love them and I'd rather buy a bunch of new stamps and my budget can't do both.

Luckily, Karen showed me how to pull this off using SU! markers. Score. I have those already. I guess this means I get to buy a new stamp set, eh? Thanks Karen! Click here for her marker layering tutorial.

Thanks for your visit. Ske-doosh. 

Inkspirations Colour Challenge #82- Chaque Instant Pour Toi

Here's the colour combination:

And here's my card:

stamps: chaque instant, all holidays

ink: marina, crumb, cajun, olive (cheater pumpkin eater) and craft vanilla, black

paper: crumb cake, vanilla

accessories: shimmer paint, crystal effects, dimensionals, rhinstones, black journaling marker

I 'm kind of on a clean simple kick, lately. You can't really see the shimmery nature of this colouring but it looks sah-WEET in real life. I'm bad at actually sending the stuff I make so 3 x 3 cards make me feel better since we can't actually mail them on their own. LOL!

I set up my lighting tent that I bought eons ago. The tent makes it so much easier to take photos of finished projects but it's too big. I should've gotten a smaller one. I need to get better lights for it as well. Phil just shook his head when he came downstairs and saw it all set up on an end table that I stole from the livingroom. He's a lovely man and incredibly hot, but he hasn't a creative bone in his body. He doesn't "get" the lengths we go to in the name of creating and sharing. I will commandeer a pair of his underwear if it will further my creative quest, I say!

Go check out what the rest of the team made and don't forget to leave them some blog love!

Inkspirations Challenge Blog Cindy Kirsty Makeesha Renée Brandi Carrie Helen Ilina Lee-Anne Marisa

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! Ske-doosh.

Back to school so soon? Sigh.

This photo was taken at Logan's Kindergarten graduation in June. It's hard to believe that he'll be going into grade one. Logan is a very active little boy and has a hard time sitting still for long periods of time. He tells me that his "mind moves fast" so it's difficult for him to sit still. He told me once that his mind talks to his legs but his belly doesn't listen.

We'll probably have him tested within the first couple of months of school to see if he's got hyperactivity issues or maybe ADD. If he does, we'll deal with it as it comes. He's a really bright boy and has his mom's sense of humour. He's very tall for his age and is as strong as an ox. He is very artistic and has a wonderful imagination. He's a fiercely protective big brother and a daddy's boy, through and through. 

I guess I'm feeling worried about the upcoming school year. He didn't have a great year in K. He has the tendency to drive us up the wall at home with his ants-in-the-pants tendencies so I know he can't be the easiest of kids to handle in a classroom setting. I console myself in the knowledge that he has a hunger for knowledge and is very smart. We'll do everything in our power to support him and to work with his teacher to make sure that he succeeds in school. He's a high-energy kid but he's also a rock star, so I have every confidence that this year will be a good one.

stamps: first day

ink: oolive, bblack

paper: first edition dsp, oolive cs, cchip cs, just add cake dsp, wwhite

accessories: two tags die, large scallop circle punch, black journaling marker

I'm planning on making one of these for each of the kids in Logan's class. I say "planning on" because time is now running short given that we are leaving for vacation on Friday and not coming back until 2 days before school starts. Maybe I'll cut and prep the supplies and them assemble and colour them on vacation...maybe. ; ) Ske-doosh.

I did it! I did it! I did it!

I finally finished all of the Dare to Get Dirty Challenges! It was down to the wire but I got it done. I had trouble uploading at the end so that was frustrating but it's done. I love the DTGD because I feel so creative as I'm doing it. And now I have a tonne of cards on hand. Quite a few of the samples I made multiples of. Now to organize!

I have 4 of these craft keeper boxes that retired and I always had good intentions to decorate them and separate all of my cards into categories. What's that saying about paved road to hell? Ayuh. SO! I got one done and have the paper cut for the 3 remaining ones. That's what I really want to finish before we go to the cottage. I also want a diamond tennis bracelet and a smaller butt. What do you think the odds are on me getting what I want, hmm?

Another super cool thing about me getting all these challenges done is I'll have a lot to share on my blog! (points finger menacingly) So no peeking in my gallery at SCS! Just kidding. Go. Peek. But still come back here to read all the wit and wisdom I spew, m'kay? I am *so* humble, eh? Bygones.

Hey! Here's a 12 x 12 page of the boys. I have no idea if you'll be able to read the journaling on it. Maybe click on the photo and it'll enlarge. Or don't. The journaling is far from interesting. I was kinda babbling because I started too high on the page and I wanted it to extend to the bottom of the photo. It's rambling, mostly. That's the awesome thing about scrapbooking, though. When I get a page with a lot of journaling on it done, I think about how cool it's going to be for Logan and Skyler to read it later on in their lives.

They know I'm a babbling idiot sometimes. Its not news.

I have to clean the house and start packing for the cottage in Trois Pistoles. It'll be our 4th year going and we're really looking forward to it this year. We're lucky to have a friend come to stay at our home while we're gone. We may live in a small town but it's still stressful to think of the house being empty. Not this year! Ya think if I left a list of chores to do that...ya...probably not. LOL!

 What's the latest you've stayed up to stamp or scrapbook? I stay up *way* too late, *way* too often in the summer. I went to bed at 6 a.m. yesterday so now that my crafting blitz is done, I think I'll go get some much needed rest. : ) Ske-doosh.

Hoo Loves You and The Adventures of Llorenzo the LLama...

stamps: none

ink: none

paper: crumb cake, playdate DSP, cchip cs, ssafron cs, baja cs

accessories: thickers letters, dymo gun, dimensionals, top not die, needle and thread, boho blossom punch for the wings

I made this wee owl for one of the Dare To Get Dirty Challenges (you have to be a Fan Club member to see the first link) on SCS and it took. me. FOREVER. All the stitching you see is done by hand. My husband didn't believe me at first. He thought I did it with a machine. Nope. Just by an obsessive compulsive paper crafting perfectionist, a piercing mat, and a needle with thread. : )

On to Llorenzo the Llama's Stampin' Up! Grow Convention 2011 Adventures:

I had never been to a Target before so Amy, Tandra and Llorenzo brought me on my very first trip.

We had to get some snacks for the hotel room and Llorenzo likes yogurt sooo...

Llorenzo and James became fast friends. (What do you think James is looking at? That's right...his silly iPhone. Llorenzo told me later on that he found James crying in the bathroom mumbling some along the lines of, "I shoulda got a Blackberry...they're so much cooler than iPhones...")

Sweet Dixie and her loving man, George. We loved him, and hugged him, and squeezed him.

Llorenzo and my friend, LisaCat!

Nothing like a good swap to get Llorenzo in the mood at the Stampin' Addicts Meet and Greet.

Amy and Tandra brought me to Layne Bryant's (heaaaaaavennnnn) and as I was trying on clothes, Tandra the Perv took some photos underneath the cabin door. She tried to tell me it was Llorenzo but I knew better. Sidenote: there were 2 photos taken, one of which showed me half naked in the reflexion of the mirror...duh-LEET!

Llorenzo really enjoyed Carrie's +Fun class!

Über cute Shannon.

Mmmm...sausage McMuffin...mmmmmm...

Llorenzo makes it to the big stage!

I wish I knew what this gentleman's name is...he was awesome! Tandra and Amy asked him if they could get a few shots of Lorenzo behind the camera. The shots are on Tandra's camera so you should all head over to her blog and pester her to post them. ; )

For those of you who have never been to Convention or a big Regional, Tom is considered kind of a rock star. He always gets huge applause when mentioned. Demos heart Tom.

Llorenzo had to keep up with all the latest Facebook chatter about SU! while attending General Session. (not seen in photo is the look of longing on James' face at the sight of my Blackberry.)

Llorenzo was being quite helpful to Angie from Stampin' Addicts as she posted all the news from the General Session floor.

Llorenzo getting schooled on My Digital Studio. He really is an attentive listener.

Llorenzo wasn't shy to say hi to Shelli's daughter, Sara.

The caption on this photo could not be more true. Spencer Willis is one of my faves at SU! He can sing, dance *and* craft. Triple threat, yo.

After morning classes, Llorenzo dug into one of the boxed lunches provided for all Convention attendees. They're not the best but they're far from the worst. : )

Llorenzo made some new friends in the Gathering Place. He's shown here chatting up Llama the Alpaca.

I told Tandra that I'd give her a nickel if she went up to get a photo of Sterling and Shalae with Llorenzo. She hopped up and got the shot but there was a technical glitch in her camera so I ran back to get one as well. He must have thought we were insane. Anyway, Tandra found the far superior photo on her camera later on. Once again, head to her blog and pester her to post it. : )

This was the only shot we were able to get with Shelli. Maybe next year.

We all went to the Market Street Grill for supper but Llorenzo wanted Mexican. He protested our decision by downing a bottle of Tabasco. Silly Llama.

Bad Llorenzo! Baaaad!

He may be a handsome Llama but he's not very bright. You were supposed to look for oncoming cars, dear. *sigh*

After a long day of hanging out with us, Llorenzo decides he's had enough.

So, for those of you that think we're insane for taking all of these photos...well...I guess you had to be there. If any of you are llama enthusiasts, link back here in the comment section of this post. Llama llama duck! ; ) Ske-doosh.