Just Pin It!

Good afternoon everyone!

Spring is just around the corner, I can feel it in my bones (or rather my feet..soaked through my boots and gonna have to invest in some rubber boots very very soon!) and I can hear it in the air.  Yesterday I heard a bird outside my house that I haven't heard all winter..couldn't tell you what kind of bird it is but I recognized it's song as one that comes every spring and that got me all excited and giddy like a kid.  I am sooooo not a winter person.  I bundle up in the winter, I try to hibernate, and I most definitely do NOT enjoy outdoor winter sports, pfft...just give me a good book, a warm blanket, and a place in cozy bed to hide.  Anyhow, Spring is so close and one of the things that comes with spring is new inspirations to craft, cook, and yes, even clean!  Crazy huh!  I've been pinning like crazy on my fave social bookmarking site - Pinterest.  Feel free to look me up under My Pinterest Profile .  I am a bit of a Pin addict and I try to go on the site at LEAST once a day for new ideas and inspirations.

YUP This is ME!!

Today I thought I would share some of my favourite pinspirations with you so you can see that not only do I pin voraciously but I do actually use the sites I've bookmarked as well.  There are some great recipes, some great craft inspirations but also some genious gifting ideas too...I just love this site, can't say that enough..love love love Pinterest!  Anyhoo..enjoy my pinspirations and have an awesomely cheery spring day!

This image just makes me smile because there really is beauty in the unlikely and the simple.
find it at http://www.pinterest.com/pin/283586107756057495/

I have 365 pins on Stampin' Up! Inspirations alone, soo many great ideas
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/283586107760372282/

Tried these, loved these, and will make again!
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/283586107759343465/

Used this idea for a work giveaway..it was fabulous!!
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/283586107757638638/

These are just some of the many many pinspirations that are out there and just a taste of what's on my boards.  Feel free to check out my boards, and please share with me any great ideas you might have, I'm always looking for something new to pin!!

P.S.  This is a site I keep going back to because I just love making these flowers and the tutorials show you how to make different kinds and it's really simple to follow.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/283586107757350377/

Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming!

Okay this post isn't really about swimming, but it's one of my favourite lines from 'Finding Nemo'!  I've been busy swimming this week, or rather doing what I do..which is crafting.  I've spent the better part of this week trying to get things ready for the Upcoming Go All Night Scrapbook Fundraiser taking place March 1-3.  This is my third year attending and I've enjoyed it so much that I joined the organizing committee this year for it.  I get to be in on the ground floor planning this amazing event and I also get to work with a fabulous bunch of ladies too!  What more could a girl ask for?!  I have been trying to be smart and get things ready in advance instead of running around going crazy last minute (like I usually do!).

I did manage to get quite a bit done.  1st off, I finished the Stampin' Up Cards for the Make N' Take Bar..can't show you everything but I can give you a sneak peek:

 

Had to include the Swallowtail stamp for one of the cards, it's such a beautiful stamp!

Then I got busy and started assembling the kits for the Canvas Class I am facilitating.  The class is full and I'm pretty excited to teach some new techniques and share a project that I loved doing, but I know I'll be nervous when it comes time to run the class, as usual, because I'll worry I forgot something, forgot to teach some part of the project, didn't do it right, messed up, or.....(okay breath).  IT WILL ALL BE FINE (just gotta keep telling myself that).  Anyhow, here's a peek at the preparations:

 I also started getting items ready as a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.  I have plenty of product on order, just waiting to arrive and show at the Crop.  One of the coolest things I have for sale are the 'Flash Cards to Go' kits as seen on Stampin' Up! demonstrator, Connie Stewart's site www.simplysimplestamping.com .  I have absolutely no problem promoting her website because the flash cards she has made and shares have inspired some of my own great ideas, and they are just so simple to make - which I love!

I have a Flash Card to Go kit in each color palette from Stampin' Up!

Finally I have some of my projects that are near completion but need to be finished or vamped up a bit with photos and embellishments.  I'm hoping that I can either finish these before the crop so I can start something new OR I will finish them at the crop and just need to bring along the tools for completion (but really who am I kidding, I'm still going to pack up my entire craft room to bring to the Crop, otherwise I'll be worried I forgot something).

Just one of the many layouts I've done that needs photos and embellishments to be completed

Love how this star turned out, but I need to finish it's mate!

See how much I've managed to get done this week, this break from work came at the perfect time for me to catch up on my crafting, and I even got to spend some downtime watching t.v. and hanging with the kids!!  Now to spend some quality time with my hubby..he's on days' off too!  :)

Cheers!

What a Wonderland of Fun!

Oh me oh my..I'm late, I'm late, for a very important deadline, er date!!  I meant to blog a week and a half ago as I have set a personal deadline for myself to blog at least once a month...oh well, guess I was just holding out for something extra blog-worthy!  I'm glad I waited! 
This last weekend I attended the 'Down The Rabbit Hole' Wonderland Themed Crop here in High Level.  This is the crop I mentioned in my last post, where I was going to teach the project class on how to make the 'Mad Hatter's Hat'.  I was so ill prepared and felt so rushed because it was a crazily  hectic week and I very much felt like the Rabbit in the story, forgetting things left and right and muttering to myself; I didn't even get my cookies baked for the crop until the moring of, and of course I forgot to take a picture of the end product..silly me.  Which is unfortunate because I had made shortbread cookies and put them in pretty decorative cupcake holders with ribbon and a tag that said 'Eat Me'. Oh well, it can't be helped and in the end I managed to get my sh..stuff together and showed up at the crop...10 minutes EARLY!  How about that, I had the time wrong anyhow and was actually early for the crop!

Anyhow, I was still very nervous about teaching the Hat Class, this is only the second time I've taught a papercrafting class and I'm always worried that the projects won't turn out or people will feel like I'm a sucky teacher, I'm still feeling my way along as it were.  The ladies I taught were great though and their projects turned out AMAZING, and honestly it's due to their talents and not my teaching!  Thankfully, they gave me their permission to post their projects here..aren't they gorgeous!

From Left to right - my teaching demo, Monica's, and Kathy's

 

 

I also promised I would send along the link for my original inspiration for the hat!  Which is a site I found on Pinterest where a DIY tutorial showed me how to make a full size hat that is used for the Mad Hatter Costume!  here is the link to the website via Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/pin/283586107757269658/

 

Aside from the class, this had to have been one of my favourite crops to attend, partly because I LOVE Alice in Wonderland so I loved the theme for the crop but also because of the fun atmosphere the whole time I was there.  From the crazy teapots, to the decorations, to the games we played, it was all soo much fun!  The organizers are ladies that love to Crop and it shows in every detail they put forth..so thanks Bonnie, Gaye, and Mona..you ladies totally rock!!

 

Until next time...