tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61258395409791810352024-03-12T23:11:44.471-06:00Creatively GeminiBits and pieces of me for everyone to see!! Warning: I may post craft ideas, scrapbook inspirations or projects, photos that I've taken or even just those insane thoughts and ideas that roll around in my brain. I'm always taking on new projects, new ideas, and new challenges so this is just my space to share some of it with you all.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-76116206765692780112014-11-06T16:40:00.003-07:002014-11-06T16:40:22.669-07:00Ahh the winds of change..Here's a toast to new beginnings and the memories of all that has come before.<br />
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in two days it will be exactly four months since we made the adjustment to star a new life for our family here in Blackfalds, Alberta. I think we have finally reached the stage where we are settled in to our new community and our new life, because as I was discussing with my friend just last night, now has come the twinges of homesickness. We spent 9 wonderful years in our hometown and the house in the country. High Level and Rocky Lane were the places where my hubby and I grew up and it was where we chose to settle down and start our family and watch it grow. So it was bittersweet to say goodbye to all of those memories in order to journey on this new path here in Blackfalds, but I am a firm believer that if you are going to try something new than you need to embrace it with all of your energies, and that is just what I have been doing in our new home.</div>
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Let me just start by saying that I like our new home and our new community. I find Blackfalds very welcoming, it's got the same small town feel as High Level, and I love that my children can now play down the street with their neighbours or go for a bike ride, or we can go to the local rec. centre whenever we feel like swimming, or playing badminton, etc. It feels comfortable to live here. I also like that we are just minutes away from a more urban community such as Red Deer. We can go into the 'city' for a movie, dinner, or just for a day of shopping and errands if we like, which we do often...then it's right back to Blackfalds for the small town feel. All in all, we really like living here. </div>
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I would say the only downside of living in our new community is that I haven't met many crafty types yet and I've come to realize that I, myself, do not feel very crafty unless I am around other creative types to motivate and inspire me..so in this way I am really missing my crafting friends back home. I haven't even touched my craft supplies or played in my brand new craft area since we've moved..it's sad really but I just can't seem to get motivated to take on a project, of any kind. The biggest thing I've done since moving here was putting together the Halloween Wreath kit from Stampin' Up! with my son and I only did that because we were decorating outside for Halloween and it was either put the kit together or forego it for another year..so the time crunch forced me to do it. I know it's time to get in there and get gluey but I'm just not sure how to motivate my self..one thing I've been thinking of is to try to start a new card group here, the timing is right with Christmas just around the corner..I think a group would be fun to make cards for the holidays. Perhaps that's the way to start, inviting others to join me for a holiday card group. Can't hurt to try right?! </div>
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In the mean time I am back in Roller Derby and trying to push myself to get better every week, to master some of the derby skills..it's slow going but I'm determined to get better and faster; I also joined a belly dancing group this week and that was a lot of fun...one way or another I will find my niche here in my new town and I will find a way to get my creative juices flowing once again. For now, here's a taste of some of what I've been up to in the past few months ala photo journal style but in no particular order :)</div>
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Cheers</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orange pound cake recipe from Pinterest, I was in a baking Mood!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Since September I have been on such a Pumpkin kick..and now I can get the coffee whenever I want..my grocery store sells the Keurig pods</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My son loves all things Halloween and his birthday is at the end of September..he says its the best of both worlds</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgDYknI4lIg1LyV1lgoa_B8Ghd09CmCSKZB-ASKJ4AA_1j3I-G49LYAtRkwKNG3J438z8w9tjvpMV2GqINQACYdHcI13GHYxUEW0-KZ7RCXxd6AH5-BFctSxBp9OdvXrJMiysm6wr1eRY/s1600/IMG_0229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgDYknI4lIg1LyV1lgoa_B8Ghd09CmCSKZB-ASKJ4AA_1j3I-G49LYAtRkwKNG3J438z8w9tjvpMV2GqINQACYdHcI13GHYxUEW0-KZ7RCXxd6AH5-BFctSxBp9OdvXrJMiysm6wr1eRY/s1600/IMG_0229.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strapped on my skates again for Roller Derby! I'm still Fresh Meat but one day I will Benchmark!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful beach sunset by Gull Lake</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOwzMqNEaLiwQtvWOj4-kRYDYTTCxypPanhh1cQ9woYP6DQGKl4cQUfJ_C0J4OC2Kv6zop6DJeqThJb3otWBxERXrQvMiyfPes4gPP2oZtEiMF9ciG1Ug7N0GgDktLg6bppSp5z1WK5JY/s1600/01bd5db3970fe98797a28fb5f3d5917f9f43ab7c23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOwzMqNEaLiwQtvWOj4-kRYDYTTCxypPanhh1cQ9woYP6DQGKl4cQUfJ_C0J4OC2Kv6zop6DJeqThJb3otWBxERXrQvMiyfPes4gPP2oZtEiMF9ciG1Ug7N0GgDktLg6bppSp5z1WK5JY/s1600/01bd5db3970fe98797a28fb5f3d5917f9f43ab7c23.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beginnings of my new craft area</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKeC8Z4uQ_D7UHxEB6dtzA8IXfNOE2mGjhpsSWwxWPdzv1W0MxGS9eMY4nm4v02lGPGFhgU-rMWy-357N4QWwUFjEzUfNKpYnMbP1QuoSB98d-duPcffvc4zx2uGvEQVcV2c_UzrW7e769/s1600/010b212353316714d06d5b29315fa820dce50dd887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKeC8Z4uQ_D7UHxEB6dtzA8IXfNOE2mGjhpsSWwxWPdzv1W0MxGS9eMY4nm4v02lGPGFhgU-rMWy-357N4QWwUFjEzUfNKpYnMbP1QuoSB98d-duPcffvc4zx2uGvEQVcV2c_UzrW7e769/s1600/010b212353316714d06d5b29315fa820dce50dd887.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love fresh cut flowers and all summer I've been able to get these kind of bouquets from the local farmers market</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU8h_miZ5M6o3WGENNrHMpNiD5mTRdodm7dRUOQSCH-J6HAtAaqjEvzNgu4GB1xdScTe1hEbM3g_JzlBiImA5NmocD9i0m2qF5qpjsNIrzphtZEpndWJ8liJ5G-uLWH-SCtSKfVZFrtjJg/s1600/018da236edfbccdfe6e481670646afaee6c53524fd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU8h_miZ5M6o3WGENNrHMpNiD5mTRdodm7dRUOQSCH-J6HAtAaqjEvzNgu4GB1xdScTe1hEbM3g_JzlBiImA5NmocD9i0m2qF5qpjsNIrzphtZEpndWJ8liJ5G-uLWH-SCtSKfVZFrtjJg/s1600/018da236edfbccdfe6e481670646afaee6c53524fd.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Got to see this play again this summer..AWESOME!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZnQr73ERXAq8osimt3NjSmMKXsYvdFfniHoT5xHZCxCmdduliWE8wl3W5zJw9ynNET1ObscwaO8GxDweCnPE1bsgkgk5Y9todrSvmT0pqmxg7CriYxRWsccN-LHL7hg7RaurDm487Sip/s1600/01a1eb4431b5d144500cd846030abde7f4eee38bf7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZnQr73ERXAq8osimt3NjSmMKXsYvdFfniHoT5xHZCxCmdduliWE8wl3W5zJw9ynNET1ObscwaO8GxDweCnPE1bsgkgk5Y9todrSvmT0pqmxg7CriYxRWsccN-LHL7hg7RaurDm487Sip/s1600/01a1eb4431b5d144500cd846030abde7f4eee38bf7.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from my room :) an early fall weekend away with friends in Canmore/Banff</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bCDnO6ZB3DCEqm3tlpdj7pWgTMNbO1PXJ6zAGdW72a48sQ-DWcvPUjSS9A9S-3hZz_6awr93d_8mT8pcUOxV_ke-F7LMlIFxEoqvmRiNDiNFV_mRUxASWROzEcibNUycz6Zgf6UVb9CR/s1600/01bf3568407852c7ed5ad5c583e5e20ec9b49020a4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bCDnO6ZB3DCEqm3tlpdj7pWgTMNbO1PXJ6zAGdW72a48sQ-DWcvPUjSS9A9S-3hZz_6awr93d_8mT8pcUOxV_ke-F7LMlIFxEoqvmRiNDiNFV_mRUxASWROzEcibNUycz6Zgf6UVb9CR/s1600/01bf3568407852c7ed5ad5c583e5e20ec9b49020a4.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Window shopping for the perfect pumpkin</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-38379663279131066742014-05-20T14:21:00.000-06:002014-05-20T14:21:38.119-06:00DIY Retro Fresh Kitchen Tile StyleHi Everyone,<br />
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Can you believe that Summer is just around the corner?! I told my son the other day that we don't really have Spring months up here because as soon as it gets warm enough for the snow to melt we seem to skip Spring and fast forward to Summer clothing, Summer BBQ's and Summer thoughts. I said that the true indicator of Summer would be after we have one more good rainfall, because then the leaves on the trees will truly sprout and we'll see green trees everywhere. Last night it rained by our house..not a torrential downpour but apparently enough for my predictions to come true. The trees around our house are a lovely shade of budding green! I know I should expect at least one more frost before its safe to plant or enjoy the outdoors as summer weather, but it's so hard when you experience Winter for 6-8 months out of the year. <br />
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My wish for everything warm and sunny was the start of where my inspiration came from for this neat technique for making your very own Scrapbook tiles, that and a little bit of home decor searching online. Stampin' UP! has this great Designer Series Paper (DSP) called 'Retro Fresh' from the Spring Occasions Catalogue (Item # 132993). I love the colours in the paper but I'm not really a retro kind of gal, at least not for the 50-60s era, but if the 80s and 90s could be considered retro than I am all over it LOL. Anyhow, as I was looking through the papers, one of the patterns caught my eye. It was these teeny tiny bi-colour tiles that look a little bit like paint swatches. What they actually made me think of is the tiles that go on kitchen or bathroom backsplashes a la the 1960s, and then I thought to myself, 'wouldn't these look just like those kinds of tiles if I could figure out some way to make them all shiny like actual backsplash tiles?!'. I immediately went through my inventory of adhesives and liquids to see if anything could produce the desired effect and sure enough, I found my Stampin' UP! Crystal Effects (Item #101055). <br />
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Now it was just a matter of putting the two together to see if this technique actually played out in real life the way it had come together in my mind..the result:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQQKXJM_GsM0SEO8EZt-OXS0ifRzzUpaI3oEiSkgc_dhJq8JJv3u6FIlTZseut4M0gQlxMp3BUL5UaiXrY89AjkYFCMhK9x7-WzHD22OlJfELoYPWb8iKHFGdWoCZrdNogv7E1o3U5zBn/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQQKXJM_GsM0SEO8EZt-OXS0ifRzzUpaI3oEiSkgc_dhJq8JJv3u6FIlTZseut4M0gQlxMp3BUL5UaiXrY89AjkYFCMhK9x7-WzHD22OlJfELoYPWb8iKHFGdWoCZrdNogv7E1o3U5zBn/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What do you think?! Doesn't it look just like ceramic kitchen tiles!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOC9rSJXrdDxKrjQRjoe4WtFTnY5joJlkJa731Vnh3Uub1rsv4KrVwtLWsUiaUKQn1q7ewLp03GSaEKTIFjiARObQPhEaFEe0aiDvDIR8VPZZffwcwwQW5doZLa1E3tELv66UmUxrq9Xxa/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOC9rSJXrdDxKrjQRjoe4WtFTnY5joJlkJa731Vnh3Uub1rsv4KrVwtLWsUiaUKQn1q7ewLp03GSaEKTIFjiARObQPhEaFEe0aiDvDIR8VPZZffwcwwQW5doZLa1E3tELv66UmUxrq9Xxa/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The technique is simple enough, but it is time consuming to 'paint' each tile so I only did half of the sheet.</td></tr>
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I thought it turned out pretty amazing actually, exactly like what I had pictured in my mind and the technique is simple enough..Just 'paint' each tile with one coat of Crystal Effects and let dry. In order to get an authentic tile look, I coated each square individually rather than painting the whole sheet so that each square is shiny and looks bubbled, like real tile. I only coated half of the 12x12 sheet as I just want to use the finished product for a border so I won't need to use up the whole sheet this way and I didn't want to waste it, but I know it is simple enough to do if I need to create more.<br />
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So that is my share for today, a simple technique for creating your very own retro fresh kitchen tile style embellishment! <br />
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CheersAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-17459146339100477902014-03-19T12:58:00.003-06:002014-03-19T12:58:52.843-06:00Just Pin It!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Good afternoon everyone!<br />
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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 <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/tlpredovic/" target="_blank">My Pinterest Profile</a> . 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.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFXOBAl-tCwXVF6-xDdwCuyadvoxybr3Jfb6Ge2IjP0Fc4a0iTsimH5kKhdObJG9Tcd29hUxmeAtkAOP4u8HLcE8235hlZffombsugE4ns08GYHu9wB-_1NYv5AOZi54w-WCOV0wBlUrJ/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFXOBAl-tCwXVF6-xDdwCuyadvoxybr3Jfb6Ge2IjP0Fc4a0iTsimH5kKhdObJG9Tcd29hUxmeAtkAOP4u8HLcE8235hlZffombsugE4ns08GYHu9wB-_1NYv5AOZi54w-WCOV0wBlUrJ/s1600/photo.JPG" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YUP This is ME!!</td></tr>
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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!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/51/09/f0/5109f0313b8b89b9045c8b8ffc1d00b9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/51/09/f0/5109f0313b8b89b9045c8b8ffc1d00b9.jpg" height="317" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This image just makes me smile because there really is beauty in the unlikely and the simple. <br />find it at <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/283586107756057495/" target="_blank">http://www.pinterest.com/pin/283586107756057495/</a><br /><br /></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/41/cf/4b/41cf4b124033ae6ce6453921007f4454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/41/cf/4b/41cf4b124033ae6ce6453921007f4454.jpg" height="264" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have 365 pins on Stampin' Up! Inspirations alone, soo many great ideas<br /><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/283586107760372282/" target="_blank">http://www.pinterest.com/pin/283586107760372282/</a></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/86/df/b2/86dfb2c87500330ccc54df398c93114f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/86/df/b2/86dfb2c87500330ccc54df398c93114f.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tried these, loved these, and will make again!<br /><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/283586107759343465/" target="_blank">http://www.pinterest.com/pin/283586107759343465/</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/26/2f/c9/262fc9b6b07addb7077ae0bca816d8ba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/26/2f/c9/262fc9b6b07addb7077ae0bca816d8ba.jpg" height="320" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Used this idea for a work giveaway..it was fabulous!!<br /><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/283586107757638638/" target="_blank">http://www.pinterest.com/pin/283586107757638638/</a></td></tr>
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<br />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!!<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d6/3e/bf/d63ebf48e50cc9823ff7eeb30686f9fa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d6/3e/bf/d63ebf48e50cc9823ff7eeb30686f9fa.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">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.<br /><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/283586107757350377/" target="_blank">http://www.pinterest.com/pin/283586107757350377/ </a></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-3812005924697237752014-03-08T23:05:00.000-07:002014-03-08T23:05:11.306-07:00Dapper Diaper CakeGood evening and greetings from that which was lost and now is found...well not really lost but forgotten for a while. I've been a busy lady these past months and kind of forgot to prioritize my blog and post all the various creative eats and treats I've been making. I know, yet again, bad girl *smack on the hand*. Finally a friend mentioned that they do still watch for posts on my blog and wondered if I was ever going to put anything new on here. That made me realize that I do have at least one person who checks this baby out so I'd better get my butt in gear and give them something to look at. <br />
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Really I do like posting to this page, I just forget now and then to do so. Anyhow tonight, I had my creative juices flowing and I actually remembered to take pictures as I went so I thought, 'well girl..no better time than now to get back in the saddle!' So here I am!<br />
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My mother-in-law, Mom2, asked me to create a diaper cake for a baby shower that she is attending tomorrow. She said she wasn't sure of the baby's gender as baby is still on the way and the couple wants to be surprised so this is a 'baby-to-be' shower, but she knew that the nursery was going to be grey and yellow. What an interesting colour combination for a gender neutral nursery..actually I think it's kind of neat and that gave me the idea to do a simple diaper cake with those colours. Now with limited time and inspiration, I decided to do a three tiered diaper cake with a banner and paper flowers in the colour theme of grey and yellow. I didn't want the cake to be overly girly since baby to be could be a boy, hence the banner idea and, since I don't know the baby's name yet, I decided to use the title of 'wonderful' cause that is what all babies are..so here are some photos of my creative process, enjoy! I promise not to go so long between posts next time!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOIIxcsIy5mg7t8fj0JrEigZiD5W_9uL7QhVKe5zzy125D5A4Iu07CPWLzp3HzFJO1ru7QHLOfBWVH89NVc8-UvquVuqk9u1lpEGpmgL-SIAgt7cbmRGrLvwDZneuutCQFTHS4RLc5h8b/s1600/IMG_5912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOIIxcsIy5mg7t8fj0JrEigZiD5W_9uL7QhVKe5zzy125D5A4Iu07CPWLzp3HzFJO1ru7QHLOfBWVH89NVc8-UvquVuqk9u1lpEGpmgL-SIAgt7cbmRGrLvwDZneuutCQFTHS4RLc5h8b/s1600/IMG_5912.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the start of the diaper cake, I used 75 sized two diapers for this cake. p.s. I didn't have enough yellow ribbon so I used yellow washi tape for the top and bottom layer!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx73HNBFehMLo_spFdMa48XDI9073vuxtHJDT5sSQ7-2SXL-rkC68yHUFvQ2boMN1Ox33a78y7ZLsozAaVUgra8DnPR-D6iTjijIgOtCwZM4ig_jkBTLVzv_4L2vpSvcDF82bjq_mhTnpK/s1600/IMG_5914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx73HNBFehMLo_spFdMa48XDI9073vuxtHJDT5sSQ7-2SXL-rkC68yHUFvQ2boMN1Ox33a78y7ZLsozAaVUgra8DnPR-D6iTjijIgOtCwZM4ig_jkBTLVzv_4L2vpSvcDF82bjq_mhTnpK/s1600/IMG_5914.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the start of the flowers for the cake, I made 8 large flowers and 3 smaller ones.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVeJhifu9BnJVKYx2jqGU_q_HxKP_A56JpTT9-lQLwknJMTtijKkgj4PSBGcwv70Hbo7liN6CBdqHU2z7vRzAjeY-s9s_gSEeoIB9CsMPjg79dVpHUANwFrOkdzqZq43TSLn5w7rKGueVu/s1600/IMG_5915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVeJhifu9BnJVKYx2jqGU_q_HxKP_A56JpTT9-lQLwknJMTtijKkgj4PSBGcwv70Hbo7liN6CBdqHU2z7vRzAjeY-s9s_gSEeoIB9CsMPjg79dVpHUANwFrOkdzqZq43TSLn5w7rKGueVu/s1600/IMG_5915.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEdr2sXfvlvN73Or9QPZvioWf3Brn3c4o2ZlRd4AtBDfb5Ibr2tJ1IxoZnqNhUOBs2xq5feLT86VaVkWc8Cn0nwPxgffmybx33Pv_nxQ1-oWTnABLfeD8gPFz7vAzyf3Dn2a209mLB7L2F/s1600/IMG_5919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEdr2sXfvlvN73Or9QPZvioWf3Brn3c4o2ZlRd4AtBDfb5Ibr2tJ1IxoZnqNhUOBs2xq5feLT86VaVkWc8Cn0nwPxgffmybx33Pv_nxQ1-oWTnABLfeD8gPFz7vAzyf3Dn2a209mLB7L2F/s1600/IMG_5919.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6ePHCngWPRCEUT9Umw2XL3Y2t2N9Fii2tPy0p0-XilNrrIwUDSF8_bfQnSsXNV2SvpCFECC7xwqh0msib9okxvXFG98XknY8E-rPV-Hi7ooCK3P7WCqSWXIHW4palQW5yvCvNKbYEK_A/s1600/IMG_5920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6ePHCngWPRCEUT9Umw2XL3Y2t2N9Fii2tPy0p0-XilNrrIwUDSF8_bfQnSsXNV2SvpCFECC7xwqh0msib9okxvXFG98XknY8E-rPV-Hi7ooCK3P7WCqSWXIHW4palQW5yvCvNKbYEK_A/s1600/IMG_5920.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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I can't take the credit for these amazing paper flowers..please check out this link to see a number of tutorials on how to make a variety of beautiful paper flowers <a href="http://www.moments-of-tranquility-gallery.com/tutorials/flower-tutorials/19274660_zxt8wm#!flower-tutorials/ctw0" target="_blank">Moments of Tranquilty - flower tutorials</a> and trust me, once you practice with these techniques you will never be without a flower for your papercrafting again!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXHRHr2yzVImC79cKk3FOEekbRTP3hdAZGtayDaj2UZOoRFPukDU6naLGP6HoHl2oGhSPfVvVBVD9Fzk-7eWiJH8QU3bkkVfMagPwrQSyQYZ6DAklraqnyDK697mLgKg_1JgIMkJF_qVt/s1600/IMG_5922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXHRHr2yzVImC79cKk3FOEekbRTP3hdAZGtayDaj2UZOoRFPukDU6naLGP6HoHl2oGhSPfVvVBVD9Fzk-7eWiJH8QU3bkkVfMagPwrQSyQYZ6DAklraqnyDK697mLgKg_1JgIMkJF_qVt/s1600/IMG_5922.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-QBdKqa7GnPKv3aValx3B9Q-RfuVhKDMYQf3XQ3tJwVIHfzToTdfjzayAVfqLQQ0nt9bHIqJAgDNwKnwSotYdI_kL7UlpxX0lY5cOdpsvuVbj0g9F4bsP9WcJ7HTpbWpySsBlAJLJRDTa/s1600/IMG_5923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-QBdKqa7GnPKv3aValx3B9Q-RfuVhKDMYQf3XQ3tJwVIHfzToTdfjzayAVfqLQQ0nt9bHIqJAgDNwKnwSotYdI_kL7UlpxX0lY5cOdpsvuVbj0g9F4bsP9WcJ7HTpbWpySsBlAJLJRDTa/s1600/IMG_5923.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the cake after I added the flowers, but it still needed something on top</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQ5RfiRsRQBY3Yo-9R83vnrRED-JdO5UorNChosqFChNB_11tJgYn-C4o0VvuYFZQZa24Q0hDo5-33GKSAnEacPZLJGDl89q1MiqmCNfvnAzQM4ToieSnqzVu05Uiduv4HXltWC2zxYQ9/s1600/IMG_5924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQ5RfiRsRQBY3Yo-9R83vnrRED-JdO5UorNChosqFChNB_11tJgYn-C4o0VvuYFZQZa24Q0hDo5-33GKSAnEacPZLJGDl89q1MiqmCNfvnAzQM4ToieSnqzVu05Uiduv4HXltWC2zxYQ9/s1600/IMG_5924.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0tFL04MqA60SSV0Zs0YWQG-qV_6t7JkRfo_IqcGbLGmJuv-FLgI3SKrnwwPNaJlqaS1n9LBScak7YhcozApFbxhdTdIo1OCVhYznDUoLEO7K5mlEIvBcpvovbr802oAf_riD9b3owgkB7/s1600/IMG_5926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0tFL04MqA60SSV0Zs0YWQG-qV_6t7JkRfo_IqcGbLGmJuv-FLgI3SKrnwwPNaJlqaS1n9LBScak7YhcozApFbxhdTdIo1OCVhYznDUoLEO7K5mlEIvBcpvovbr802oAf_riD9b3owgkB7/s1600/IMG_5926.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've only just gotten into using banners in my projects since this summer when I made my daughter's birthday cake with a banner..since then I love the unique and fun look they add!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDtrBtbDhyJK_xJvmArCElhQgK0bFVl95nVSx5WYympSWr9gXaMgRJtXIEcBrJnr6c-Lij78rtwADxZ9HrfdgpS1woPGpAE8ghmAfvTWqmSsd62WQ09BNDbxmEiQ9yR55I_GdejeuH2p6/s1600/IMG_5929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDtrBtbDhyJK_xJvmArCElhQgK0bFVl95nVSx5WYympSWr9gXaMgRJtXIEcBrJnr6c-Lij78rtwADxZ9HrfdgpS1woPGpAE8ghmAfvTWqmSsd62WQ09BNDbxmEiQ9yR55I_GdejeuH2p6/s1600/IMG_5929.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I ran into a problem in that I wasn't sure what to attach my banner to..paper straws to the rescue!! I had to cover them with grey ribbon to match my cake though</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIdJ9_pC_djTMG-1ycUGcglMgN3M50xkgFbkthRqxpCFR1ye2IxDT6RRfTABsF40r3mFJ7aqRsOu7o8pz_yTCz_v8EP9jdEBOjfU-08rPMClxUIZaBXzkSVpHUBnR4DHplk0cIKwLQ_Njx/s1600/IMG_5931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIdJ9_pC_djTMG-1ycUGcglMgN3M50xkgFbkthRqxpCFR1ye2IxDT6RRfTABsF40r3mFJ7aqRsOu7o8pz_yTCz_v8EP9jdEBOjfU-08rPMClxUIZaBXzkSVpHUBnR4DHplk0cIKwLQ_Njx/s1600/IMG_5931.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Completed banner...TA DA!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijnPzD-6cWuCUqhqFevFSwYMBoTkg2_3KfG0cL4bNrCKyAvwTuIAVnmx-27HChIjW1lkeFQ3QDy3Ci_qGueEL-8GsNtdUyhli7Tej1WjLMkK3mgkwnWaQ2uzdkdzJ6qwwMhlqpAFzx4g47/s1600/IMG_5932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijnPzD-6cWuCUqhqFevFSwYMBoTkg2_3KfG0cL4bNrCKyAvwTuIAVnmx-27HChIjW1lkeFQ3QDy3Ci_qGueEL-8GsNtdUyhli7Tej1WjLMkK3mgkwnWaQ2uzdkdzJ6qwwMhlqpAFzx4g47/s1600/IMG_5932.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doesn't it look great as my cake topper?!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1d4Exe84kqHgUS5_rmQ1nIP37lJ6n9QObLcsEDmUzlr0xyoNkjx_Fu7JSNUYoSYYvT_0W_7zRAWC6eZoviGypl_RG_z5vUMLxZSsG0Pdl7ZR3H5Bm7XGTWUt6ID5utyRoEDImrM6ty_w/s1600/IMG_5933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1d4Exe84kqHgUS5_rmQ1nIP37lJ6n9QObLcsEDmUzlr0xyoNkjx_Fu7JSNUYoSYYvT_0W_7zRAWC6eZoviGypl_RG_z5vUMLxZSsG0Pdl7ZR3H5Bm7XGTWUt6ID5utyRoEDImrM6ty_w/s1600/IMG_5933.JPG" height="320" width="175" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished Product, looks good enough to eat!</td></tr>
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I am always giddy and impressed when a project comes to fruition and resembles what goes on in my brain. Aside from the diapers, washi tape, inks, and straws..everything you see here came from my Stampin' UP! stash of products. I love how versatile the products were in creating this cake..an added bonus is that as good as this cake looks, it has zero calories :)<br />
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Anyhow, that's it from me for the evening.<br />
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Cheers!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-33075271309307123202013-07-17T13:51:00.000-06:002013-07-17T13:52:44.944-06:00The Apple of my eye!Wow, can't believe summer is here and in full swing! I keep telling myself that I haven't really had a chance to relax yet because I've felt so busy cleaning, running errands, living up to commitments, etc. but really that's just a cop out I think. The truth is that I have had time to relax but I've just been taking that time in such small doses that it hasn't registered with my multi-tasking brain. I really need to take more time for me and put aside the other stuff so I can truly feel rested. Like today for example.<br />
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I woke up craving apple fritters and coffee for breakfast. It just seemed like such a homey and comforting morning treat, that is until I went on Pinterest and realized the recipe would take a little longer than I first thought and since I got distracted looking on Pinterest in the first place, I didn't actually start making breakfast until after 11. But what the heck, I was still craving it and I was in the mood to bake so I went ahead with it anyways! Boy was I glad that I did! This recipe is actually a lot easier than I first imagined, you prep your apples, topping, and oil while the batter sets up and let me tell you, once you sit down with that hot cup of coffee and take your first cinnamony bite of the fritter, it tastes like homemade tart apple pie goodness finished off with sweet melt in your mouth dusted icing (be sure to have a napkin handy cause that 'dusting' tends to find its way onto your clothes).<br />
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I'm literally drooling as I post this and may have to go back for seconds...okay thirds! Cheers and enjoy!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW92jTpVBhbv9NT6c-qBbT7vGRWMYDBX8CfZLd_jlvHuHZKKdmHymToihuUhnArgepaVRu0elP805SfvIzphxO_QFK-z9_2NEmInTvsWhuBARhdESQ9iO3aLXziKfdlB9WnMUPy7zQlGue/s1600/IMG_0591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW92jTpVBhbv9NT6c-qBbT7vGRWMYDBX8CfZLd_jlvHuHZKKdmHymToihuUhnArgepaVRu0elP805SfvIzphxO_QFK-z9_2NEmInTvsWhuBARhdESQ9iO3aLXziKfdlB9WnMUPy7zQlGue/s320/IMG_0591.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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I just couldn't start my day without taste testing this recipe and enjoying a great cup of coffee in my favourite coffee mug! Find the full recipe here: <a href="http://userealbutter.com/2012/09/30/apple-fritters-recipe/" target="_blank">http://userealbutter.com/2012/09/30/apple-fritters-recipe/</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0neVlFFtRfyhfFSQhn7NwVDznWCxfRxinJNiFNk94jKD5Lzq8V5LI3yoBYGps3o4n8ePq41L395z2H-1LkGqJ90eekufsox6kyHbiN1K8x5zOcOSzMtjPm-PXONCTHFkoZLuKq-H6anJl/s1600/IMG_0585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0neVlFFtRfyhfFSQhn7NwVDznWCxfRxinJNiFNk94jKD5Lzq8V5LI3yoBYGps3o4n8ePq41L395z2H-1LkGqJ90eekufsox6kyHbiN1K8x5zOcOSzMtjPm-PXONCTHFkoZLuKq-H6anJl/s320/IMG_0585.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's a little frying between friends!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdNun2GuwxHp9Fi4t2Te-AtccuC14k36l2cqooHPKrSRvcHPRIPb23-PhlLtI-_CizxZtsCP5emG0I3ZfxJOTtJ-d8apGRQzInJhvUnSnzom0Y8-aU1p7UvuWpsBbwEZsO_yWdcZHTr07M/s1600/IMG_0589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdNun2GuwxHp9Fi4t2Te-AtccuC14k36l2cqooHPKrSRvcHPRIPb23-PhlLtI-_CizxZtsCP5emG0I3ZfxJOTtJ-d8apGRQzInJhvUnSnzom0Y8-aU1p7UvuWpsBbwEZsO_yWdcZHTr07M/s320/IMG_0589.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">not sure if I added enough icing sugar LOL</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOu7tRDTN7uf1x8Wj26OczAU7eDv716stUDKJH6QcnT5HnGIJ51KKTxYzdk5LFR1Eh7s7tTGOtB5QdUOv7CsKRVdePHZ4JmKsTPkslXD8u3dVV3pW7yDt-2cYQ79OCubxX3u68YUcKwf6n/s1600/IMG_0590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOu7tRDTN7uf1x8Wj26OczAU7eDv716stUDKJH6QcnT5HnGIJ51KKTxYzdk5LFR1Eh7s7tTGOtB5QdUOv7CsKRVdePHZ4JmKsTPkslXD8u3dVV3pW7yDt-2cYQ79OCubxX3u68YUcKwf6n/s320/IMG_0590.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Made with love!! And, no I did not pose this pic! Cool huh!!</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-36053646942745309322013-05-27T11:18:00.001-06:002013-05-27T11:18:41.793-06:00Blessings and Bliss!Happy Monday Everyone!<br />
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I realized something today, 1) that I've been procrastinating on blogging yet again, and 2) that the reason I've been procrastinating isn't because I've been forgetting but because I haven't had the time to post pics and I feel like if I don't post pics, I can't post! Well, silly me! After I realized this blunder, I also realized that this is my blog after all and I can post whatever I please...sheesh! I swear I make more rules and obstacles for myself than anyone could give me. So here I am, blogging and remembering that the best thing for me is just to BE! <br />
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At work we are doing a Mental Health Challenge for the month of May. Each day we are asked to record on a Calendar something that we do for our personal mental health and wellness. I've been dutifully recording my items each day but there are so many things that I overlook in my daily life than can fit on my calendar and I thought I would share some of these items today. They are my blessings and bliss and by putting them down here, they'll provide me a reminder that I shouldn't take them for granted so much and that I should appreciate them more! So here's a top 10 for May!<br />
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10. Country Life - As I was sitting in my newly decorated gazebo at home this weekend, watching the candles flicker in the firebowl, I noticed for the first time this year, how peaceful everything was. I enjoyed the soft breeze keeping the majority of the mosquitos away, the tinted sky as blues shifted to peaches and purples, and the quiet as the world settled around me. I took the time to just sit there and enjoy the peace and quiet and be thankful for where I was in that moment.<br />
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9. Wonderfully Warm Weather <br />
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8. Friends <br />
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7. My cell phone - Yes I know it seems silly to love my phone as much as I do, but it's truly a lifeline to my world. I traveled to Las Vegas for the very first time this month, heck it was the first time I've traveled anywhere that requires a passport (score one for the bucket list!). I absolutely loved the trip, partly because of the trip itself but also because it was a mother/daughter trip and we need to do more of those! Anyhow, while I was away my cell phone was the only thing I had with me that kept me in touch with my family and friends, via text, face-timing, Face book, etc. and without it I would have been lost.<br />
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6. Fun, Fasihonable Summer clothing<br />
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5. Gardening<br />
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4. Television<br />
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3. My Mom - I can't thank my mom enough for taking me on a Mother/Daughter trip to Vegas for My birthday! I don't get to spend enough time with her, she's one of my best friends, and to have a whole week to hang out, connect, and travel with her was honestly what made this trip so worthwhile!<br />
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2. My babies - okay so they aren't babies anymore but a week away from them all really made me appreciate and miss them so much! I was so happy to come back from my trip and hang out with them, enjoy their smiles, their laughter, and their love!<br />
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1. My husband - yes my hubby wins the appreciation award for the month of May! He looked after everything while I was gone, he still made me feel special for the entire month (which he usually refers to as my Birthday Month!), we got to spend some quality time together while I kicked his butt at cards, and I just simply enjoyed our quiet moments together this month. I know I take him for granted a lot and this was definitely a month where I appreciated him and what he does for our family!<br />
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So that's it, my top 10 for May! Maybe I'll do another top 10 next month, maybe not..either way I hope I remember to keep blogging whether I post pics or not, because this is as much a part of my creative flow as the crafts, baking, and cards I post!<br />
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What do you do for your Mental Health and Wellness? What is your top 10 this month? Feel free to share!!<br />
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CheersAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-84202882646591749312013-04-29T13:17:00.001-06:002013-04-29T13:17:48.046-06:00Administrative Assistants ROCK!Last week was Administrative Assistants Week/Day where I work and I felt the need to write/share a post about it this week. I have a school based job and I see three to four Administrative Assistants on a weekly, if not daily basis. These people amaze me every day with their roles. They are right up there with the job of 'Mother' in my opinion, because each day they multi task, manage, and care for the students and staff within the schools they work for. They have to be organized, creative, flexible, and empathetic of a variety of situations. Kudos to all these talented gems that we work with!<br />
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As soon as I found out that it was Administrative Assistants week with the official Day being Wednesday, April 24th..my creative brain started to percolate. I wanted to do something to thank these special people for all the great things they do, especially considering all they do to help me function in my role and really, I feel like they do a lot! So I went home and logged on to my Pinterest account for inspiration and along with a healthy dose of yummy goodness from the Betty Crocker Website, this is what I came up with. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRiPG9vlhOMZmYrhPl9fHHQG6k7V5KeigDRahYqOfGRo4taQY7WfVPAdQHI9bJtumV9O6uEbmMog2g9Tp8CdLTX2QHXMf58nOcqBLDdTDBk_CYOt4Hv28eUAo-zYM0ktdhl6vhHc3CgrE/s1600/bag2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRiPG9vlhOMZmYrhPl9fHHQG6k7V5KeigDRahYqOfGRo4taQY7WfVPAdQHI9bJtumV9O6uEbmMog2g9Tp8CdLTX2QHXMf58nOcqBLDdTDBk_CYOt4Hv28eUAo-zYM0ktdhl6vhHc3CgrE/s320/bag2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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These cute little purse/treat bags and this <a href="http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/lemon-whoopie-pies/7a184e86-9c0f-49b7-a172-4abb43bfdd67" target="_blank">lemon whoopie pie recipe</a>. The only thing I changed to the recipe was that I added in about a teaspoon of Lemon Chiffon Dip Mix (from Epicure) to the icing mixture.<br />
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Beautiful and delicious treats for some truly awesome women that I know, it was truly my pleasure to give these to the ladies that I work with because I really do appreciate everything they do in their jobs and especially when they help me in mine :)<br />
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How do you appreciate your co-workers? Please share!<br />
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Cheers!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-68270848779234415072013-04-17T14:00:00.000-06:002013-04-17T14:00:22.839-06:00A Pumpkin, a pin, and an Elephant?!!Greetings and salutations from Northern Alberta where we are finally getting hints of Spring! It almost seems like we forego Spring though and jump right into summer, because as soon as that warm weather hits I see people wearing shorts, shedding their winter coats for light sweaters, and puddle jumping! All this while it's still -5 out and there is more snow than water on the ground..but hey after our long hard winters, we need the sunshine and warmth, so I'll take it!<br />
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I haven't been doing too much crafting since my last post. I think I needed a crafting break or rather one of my other hobbies was calling to me instead. Over the past few weeks I've been itching to get my baking supplies, not my paper supplies, out and in use. I was off work for the Easter Break and I spent most of my time baking up a storm for the kids and company. Here are a couple of things that I made.<br />
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My cousin has been bugging me and bugging me, for the past month, to make her Elephant Ears! I only make them once in a while because the recipe I had called for a long rise time with the dough...but then I found this new recipe that rises in half the time and tastes way better. Anyhoo..I did promise I would make her some, so here they are. I had a few other cousins over that day, so suffice to say they didn't last long! Here is the link to the <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Elephant-Ears-2/" target="_blank">Elephant Ears Recipe</a><br />
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As you all know by now, I LOVE Pinterest! I get inspired daily by the Pins on this site. Now I have a standby Spinach and Artichoke Dip recipe that absolutely love, not only for it's flavour but also because it is a Clean recipe so it's a lot healthier than your typical Spinach dip. If you look for me on Pinterest, you'll find the recipe as 'Caramelized Onion, Spinach, & Artichoke dip' under my 'Healthier Me?!' board. You really must try this recipe, it is amazing!! As great as the recipe is (and yes I did pin it!) the real Pinspiration came from the display of the dip. I saw this great picture on how to make individual bread cups to hold my dip and another pin on displaying your veggies oh so prettily, so I combined the two ideas for two different ways to serve veggies and spinach dip! The final presentation was not only beautiful but practical too..no more double dipping and it's portion controlled..AWESOME!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Now I mentioned a Pumpkin in my post title today, yes I did..because I got to hang out with some wonderful ladies for our first "Ladies Night out with Paper Pumpkin!" at the beginning of the month. It wasn't a full out Crop or craft night or anything like that, it was just a quiet evening with friends to do a short half hour project that will hopefully (fingers crossed) promote further connections with friends (I want to send out my cards to friends that I don't get to touch base with very often..who says snail mail is dead!). Here are a couple of photos of the very first Paper Pumpkin project. I really enjoyed this project from Stampin' Up!'s newest product line. It was short, sweet, and since it required no effort at all, actually seemed to enhance the socializing part of the fun as well. <br />
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Paper Pumpkin is a monthly kit that you get in the mail from Stampin' Up! It's such a neat product that it has it's own website, you can look here for more info. <a href="http://www.mypaperpumpkin.com/">www.mypaperpumpkin.com</a> Whether you are new to scrapbooking or have been at it for a while, want to do it on your own or share an evening with friends, Paper Pumpkin is a sweet paper treat for everyone!</div>
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That's all I have to share for now, but there's always more fun and creative stuff to share next time!</div>
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Cheers!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-78393631716967059892013-03-22T23:22:00.000-06:002013-03-22T23:22:18.118-06:00Getting Creative Again, Part 2I've completed the card organizer that I mentioned in my blog post last week, actually I finished it the day after I posted the sneak peek. Unfortunately it still had quite a few rough edges and as much as I liked how it came together, it still seemed unfinished. So I started another one and deemed the first one my prototype. I used my entire Stampin' Up! stash of designer papers to make the modge podge prototype and as much as I liked all the different colours and the fun vibe it had, I decided to try for a more cohesive look on my second go round. Thus inspiration came from Graphic 45!<br />
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It just so happened that I have been looking for some way to use my G45 'Place in Time' Paper pack and I wanted something special for my mom's birthday. This organizer seemed like the perfect opportunity to do both! I feel a little guilty because I really wanted to promote the card organizer as an upcoming Stampin' Up! Class but between the prototype photos I'm about to show you and the finished G45 gift photos, you will see that I haven't gotten around to a finished and fabulous Stampin' Up! version yet, not to say that I won't..just not yet and I'm too excited and impatient to wait to do a third organizer before I show you all the pics I've taken of the project(s).<br />
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Oh well, such is life..I got creative and I want to share with you all so here goes:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3-BAZJazFvH4PRtRFk-J29kr9xluax_KuucK4HVTMHSCbYxqi8gFcHZovwqpYcBnfjYlFyJHk5qPI_SQyx8496o5MNb2kiw4uVEJTeh1TBPvmeB8Zc-aD657G9KPMqDsJOIuiW-eQTk7/s1600/IMG_0675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3-BAZJazFvH4PRtRFk-J29kr9xluax_KuucK4HVTMHSCbYxqi8gFcHZovwqpYcBnfjYlFyJHk5qPI_SQyx8496o5MNb2kiw4uVEJTeh1TBPvmeB8Zc-aD657G9KPMqDsJOIuiW-eQTk7/s320/IMG_0675.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the binder that I started out with</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge4GttiPS2GUBDe8i_JdxRGMssgUTeB1Gb8G0r_kjmiNnIz4M3MmAzNEIhWuvQr7NXj4vBcewZjjuzuxJ2kgdXxaeHgpUredEIBfPjY3Hq81awvKq5kdXMbpb_PANLw4XnSd9NvMWMZAfY/s1600/IMG_0679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge4GttiPS2GUBDe8i_JdxRGMssgUTeB1Gb8G0r_kjmiNnIz4M3MmAzNEIhWuvQr7NXj4vBcewZjjuzuxJ2kgdXxaeHgpUredEIBfPjY3Hq81awvKq5kdXMbpb_PANLw4XnSd9NvMWMZAfY/s320/IMG_0679.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I covered the edges with washi tape and used Sizzix adhesive sheets to adhere the Paper cover</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxf7HblEE1v8FWQQ3MN1maWNd7hCLdOHZ-Xq5VZX4_cQh3yS5LKDwjcNkja_lMRX9D2ZVBw0k12NVSVqyXGMNRbMZ2fofqotFQPYRzmJLyvFMxl_-lOhUaiMbmqyyVYDDYtict6yIcH8A/s1600/IMG_0688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAxf7HblEE1v8FWQQ3MN1maWNd7hCLdOHZ-Xq5VZX4_cQh3yS5LKDwjcNkja_lMRX9D2ZVBw0k12NVSVqyXGMNRbMZ2fofqotFQPYRzmJLyvFMxl_-lOhUaiMbmqyyVYDDYtict6yIcH8A/s320/IMG_0688.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what the finished cover looks like</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhbfespxhDx32ngswt9bUGspdX3VffsW3-r08eVL08kCxjKN8BozripYyPrzKE9tsaD9KUkQ_I4Zm3PNzIfFpeTjyhLRGYy3dOfDjBw6jcZ9MB88265nPwhmEMQmA4A9QTxey4my9jjUJ/s1600/IMG_0691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhbfespxhDx32ngswt9bUGspdX3VffsW3-r08eVL08kCxjKN8BozripYyPrzKE9tsaD9KUkQ_I4Zm3PNzIfFpeTjyhLRGYy3dOfDjBw6jcZ9MB88265nPwhmEMQmA4A9QTxey4my9jjUJ/s320/IMG_0691.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next I had to create the card holders themselves. I did this by covering up file folders</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6NnevF-L9F2RFz6KRgq6qy8yyfV32EY-RE7rH-3wPl1b3udfXaYnAgiBrqbsS4DMEq_x5A-McUac_AsBfmTdFWBHslVcpCaQ_hoC-l_p-yQ0ohN9sDusjxXUJnLrd5ieuWiJj9BtCv8o/s1600/IMG_0696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6NnevF-L9F2RFz6KRgq6qy8yyfV32EY-RE7rH-3wPl1b3udfXaYnAgiBrqbsS4DMEq_x5A-McUac_AsBfmTdFWBHslVcpCaQ_hoC-l_p-yQ0ohN9sDusjxXUJnLrd5ieuWiJj9BtCv8o/s320/IMG_0696.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">two file folders were glued back to back before covering with papers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQbVFtTtHOh3vUQLMYNDnaVK4gT74fEv1IOWGE3ID-0uoT2psI2H-wBXPf04OYwSePGAoi_TDREutwfCbXxwyIOgkdUGxUdnqmMe7vsYS7y5hpAflIM7lE1uwzHCMrPjKdkbvenqzaeRL/s1600/IMG_0703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQbVFtTtHOh3vUQLMYNDnaVK4gT74fEv1IOWGE3ID-0uoT2psI2H-wBXPf04OYwSePGAoi_TDREutwfCbXxwyIOgkdUGxUdnqmMe7vsYS7y5hpAflIM7lE1uwzHCMrPjKdkbvenqzaeRL/s200/IMG_0703.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I also created a mini card holder, accordian style</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNOUx2LZzAjmL5_ohiV1ezt7ROZjptKCZVV4X4p-Ee3yJo7GEVEpLmavP3PVEHRJDNTf2QvP6C-EVilFsoEtem2vS6wXlBSS9dt6LiVw7y6-MuSWdEBxxGgQJrcsJJ4Ser8PByIPuenv65/s1600/IMG_0705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNOUx2LZzAjmL5_ohiV1ezt7ROZjptKCZVV4X4p-Ee3yJo7GEVEpLmavP3PVEHRJDNTf2QvP6C-EVilFsoEtem2vS6wXlBSS9dt6LiVw7y6-MuSWdEBxxGgQJrcsJJ4Ser8PByIPuenv65/s200/IMG_0705.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmTNruGDXonIB0e_pUcSFQ2hddVaSiX1YcvxNhs-ZQOJ68CCy6DyNPsNGYmd6YCjiwlYKCv4LxB3X-l7TFDT031nsntArQNx_ph5KR894cyRUkO07E2aFo0Onk4xn4DTp9lK51TmeoFPN/s1600/IMG_0707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmTNruGDXonIB0e_pUcSFQ2hddVaSiX1YcvxNhs-ZQOJ68CCy6DyNPsNGYmd6YCjiwlYKCv4LxB3X-l7TFDT031nsntArQNx_ph5KR894cyRUkO07E2aFo0Onk4xn4DTp9lK51TmeoFPN/s320/IMG_0707.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I also used an envelope to create a pocket holder, great for tags</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTqHc_xhBM_Yv32Twm0U6C__rPH_tgOAOMRYQc1qo1jN2oj_UGLRgJP1upu_RW2aNpi-F6-5uEEFa-8F3DXJdRXWfN1Cji1ZUgffs1ljnc2058c4PTUtyGUDOJafTz6gggczrkIPpWClY/s1600/IMG_0704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTqHc_xhBM_Yv32Twm0U6C__rPH_tgOAOMRYQc1qo1jN2oj_UGLRgJP1upu_RW2aNpi-F6-5uEEFa-8F3DXJdRXWfN1Cji1ZUgffs1ljnc2058c4PTUtyGUDOJafTz6gggczrkIPpWClY/s320/IMG_0704.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is the layered look of the inside</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1g6kbcSOX_sKIFyieFtrzIMop6AofwCsLEEpZ12oRCpdIg6nk3nFjEiFa_5sUWZMgbltT_x7BjubjTK2t9esdoADkf_A_AWmmKph2NJkRmgpJ9go7P5z0YN1MCijVfh-vd7u9WguH2JeE/s1600/IMG_0701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1g6kbcSOX_sKIFyieFtrzIMop6AofwCsLEEpZ12oRCpdIg6nk3nFjEiFa_5sUWZMgbltT_x7BjubjTK2t9esdoADkf_A_AWmmKph2NJkRmgpJ9go7P5z0YN1MCijVfh-vd7u9WguH2JeE/s320/IMG_0701.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and thus, the prototype is born!</td></tr>
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Now I want to show you what the Second Card Holder looks like. I think having a coordinating paper pack does pull the look all together, but really I kinda like the eclectic mix of the first one too! Either way, I don't judge..it's all crafty to me :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWqjSoL433iPiTiflrkc0akqJWxUpdEUrxh3t7mnRvXlh1GobzchjSAsIVIIGiIQr1JAddsk75PDxTHpTUH6CgdBhQ4ALBKq135Di7U-4FvpVd4CuhWwLiYQKqazBfkWFjYlMuEE6JFqD/s1600/IMG_0833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWqjSoL433iPiTiflrkc0akqJWxUpdEUrxh3t7mnRvXlh1GobzchjSAsIVIIGiIQr1JAddsk75PDxTHpTUH6CgdBhQ4ALBKq135Di7U-4FvpVd4CuhWwLiYQKqazBfkWFjYlMuEE6JFqD/s320/IMG_0833.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOVX5EoLbDlga-Myg3aGc07ZyN471bTQOQQo3VL8NS50UlgR029L2dCHShJNP8G3lk_AkrLed_MKGwr2ntXZLUg_VQh7bkiQAnZhNZV9RHPN-SLWG0su5wKuFUvkpb1_CbY9A5QMP1n0Be/s1600/IMG_0826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOVX5EoLbDlga-Myg3aGc07ZyN471bTQOQQo3VL8NS50UlgR029L2dCHShJNP8G3lk_AkrLed_MKGwr2ntXZLUg_VQh7bkiQAnZhNZV9RHPN-SLWG0su5wKuFUvkpb1_CbY9A5QMP1n0Be/s320/IMG_0826.JPG" width="289" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cover isn't made from G45 papers but Little Yellow Bicycle Papers**</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifR_IZp_tX7FYZX0A4wmvtjP9EtiSJ1JU_UNCJD8Q0xh3lV3gqvHzrZZFjltqFdOVN56YTKvGj6xxQtOZFy58x9bNxAPn0nPAy1LUCO2Vu90BktCEHJXzBlszQYpiiM4fiNF84MGAU7gBA/s1600/IMG_0835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifR_IZp_tX7FYZX0A4wmvtjP9EtiSJ1JU_UNCJD8Q0xh3lV3gqvHzrZZFjltqFdOVN56YTKvGj6xxQtOZFy58x9bNxAPn0nPAy1LUCO2Vu90BktCEHJXzBlszQYpiiM4fiNF84MGAU7gBA/s320/IMG_0835.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished Organizer</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80agxnp0psWa97COBJj8NnpEQq-ywiV53_X9luOkH-vZ3ixJezwal1pPrrvbmbpiLK3QwSuPS_22lvC9eFNrK3odHneBi7LA4G7WiPlS6Y2d4zp-oCdWj1DmvKW8MmL_6yDgG910XMYrG/s1600/IMG_0827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80agxnp0psWa97COBJj8NnpEQq-ywiV53_X9luOkH-vZ3ixJezwal1pPrrvbmbpiLK3QwSuPS_22lvC9eFNrK3odHneBi7LA4G7WiPlS6Y2d4zp-oCdWj1DmvKW8MmL_6yDgG910XMYrG/s320/IMG_0827.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inside</td></tr>
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Now I just need to make some cards with various themes to put inside the organizer and then this gift is ready to give to my mom. I hope she likes it!!<br />
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Cheers!<br />
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p.s. ** the Papers I used from the Little Yellow Bicycle collection are actually from a kit I bought from <a href="http://www.birdsofafeatherkitco.com/" target="_blank">www.birdsofafeatherkitco.com</a> . I belong to their monthly kit club and honestly I can't get through all of the great stuff I get each month from this company. I just wanted to share the link because this is an amazing site with great deals!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-20785577119192216292013-03-13T23:07:00.000-06:002013-03-13T23:07:45.250-06:00Getting Creative again!So the expected withdrawals from the scrapbooking world only lasted a week. It's just not in me to stay away from creativity for very long. A few things in the last week have motivated and inspired me to get creative once more. Let me lead you down the garden path (so to speak) along the trail to my inspirations.<br />
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It all started on Monday when I saw the empty coffee canister by my desk. Such an innocently empty vessel just sitting there waiting to be picked up, smelling of fresh ground coffee and hinting of a wake up call. But first..my cluttered desk space was bugging me. I needed to find room to put away the supplies from the workshop I had taught the Friday before. In my space everything has a place and it bugs me when I can't put something away neat and tidy. So I spent a half hour decluttering my work cabinet and in doing so I found 8 perfectly good binders filled with old resources. The resources I chucked but I just couldn't get rid of these 8 perfectly good binders..there had to be something that I could use them for, some crafty upcycling that would give them fresh life..so for the time being I piled them up on a chair and returned to looking at the coffee canister. My co-worker has been faithfully saving these canisters for me, with the idea that when I collected enough I would use them for something crafty. Well I believe that time had come because as I looked at the empty coffee canister on my desk, my mind was doing a mental tally of how many canisters sat on the shelf in my craft room. Surely there had to be enough now to create a class around, but what to make?<br />
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I took the empty coffee canister and one of the binders home and put them in my craft room. There they sat for a few more days while ideas percolated in my brain. After another conversation with another co-worker around scrapbooking and papercrafting ideas, a few visits to pinterest, some time spent on my favorite crafting blogs, and reading my various weekly RSS feeds, the ideas started to coalesce into that tunnel vision I mentioned before..sitting there at the back of my brain and digging a path through my consciousness.<br />
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The coffee canister became an easter container wrapped in pretty paper and covered in paper flowers made from all the paper posies I have been punching out like crazy this week (thanks to an article my co-worker shared on waste not/want not scrapbooking tips) and filled with plastic easter eggs hunted from my family's easter egg hunt. I can picture how each container will look, all soft and pastel coloured, or perhaps they will become container's for Mother's Day and I will go fresh and vibrant with the paper selection?! so many visions playing around for what these will become, but for now they will sit on the shelf until I can post a finished product..their time is coming soon so stay tuned!<br />
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The project that really took hold in my creative mind, the one I had to actually try first..is the binders. I would love to say that I came up with the idea for their final vision myself but rather I was inspired by those continued conversations with my friend and co-worker. I could picture covering the binders but ran a bit blank from there. It was my friend's suggestion to turn them into a card holder/organizer. From there I came across file folders and envelopes in the local grocery store, which made me think of an idea I had seen on Pinterest about a cardholder made out of a folder and several pins I had seen about using envelopes for mini albums. I bought those and returned home after work to play! <br />
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I am in the midst of creating this project, which I will call my "Creative Card Carrier" (sorry, I have a think for tongue twisters lately). I've been taking pictures of the various stages of it's development, since the idea is that once I finish the prototype, I will promote it as a class (I do after all, have to find something to do with the other 7 binders!), but for now I want to share just a teaser of how it's coming along. My next post will have all the photos and finished project.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlyZo5bjp9Ggzf4wC2fAefp4L1tAqRUfMsdi4mCmBTyqBqvlQPAmDBHmUHOLQ6qdiyTyr957YpWXBt_JqQ8KOjGHseHxocbb3M3J825aO28I1EP157ZCJrYqyvNIVURZvEPY_WpiuuF-i/s1600/20130313_213618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlyZo5bjp9Ggzf4wC2fAefp4L1tAqRUfMsdi4mCmBTyqBqvlQPAmDBHmUHOLQ6qdiyTyr957YpWXBt_JqQ8KOjGHseHxocbb3M3J825aO28I1EP157ZCJrYqyvNIVURZvEPY_WpiuuF-i/s320/20130313_213618.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've taken the opportunity to use up all my extra Stampin' Up! Designer Series Papers</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Before I finish for now though, I will say this, this is a great project for getting rid of scrap or mismatched sheets of paper, I've finally found use for my washi tape collection, AND it uses far less adhesive paper sheets than I originally thought so it shouldn't be an overly expensive project to do. I just love when ideas come to fruition and projects become a reality!<br />
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I've started this project and should have it completed this weekend, which means stay tuned next week for more photos and a final product reveal!<br />
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Cheers!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-79127636682629780602013-03-05T20:43:00.001-07:002013-03-05T20:44:02.978-07:00Go All Night Recap!Oh my gosh...I am so tired and stiff today and it's two days AFTER the 6th Annual Go All Night Crop Fundraiser! It was such a blast but people don't realize how hard on a growing girl's body all that cropping can be LOL. I was on my feet most of the weekend, I stayed up late, I helped to run various raffles, taught a Mixed Media Canvas class, visited with 48 other Amazing crafters, and I got 11 layouts done ( I think that was the most amazing thing of all with all the crazy busyness!).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX28rwYnIux8wfgKB4eg_IH9IbPUeeupAt5SbduLGKRxViU9NSFI4vHx3W3Jhyphenhyphen6Vxkx8i0FQrSnwiU_FU5wo-u5TP3F5VHc1ckq_GeE7tnJcQAECJe7NPdbMIMhVFYVf7Z4HuoAtsbg5Cw/s1600/IMG_0280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX28rwYnIux8wfgKB4eg_IH9IbPUeeupAt5SbduLGKRxViU9NSFI4vHx3W3Jhyphenhyphen6Vxkx8i0FQrSnwiU_FU5wo-u5TP3F5VHc1ckq_GeE7tnJcQAECJe7NPdbMIMhVFYVf7Z4HuoAtsbg5Cw/s320/IMG_0280.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">some of the prep work for the Mixed Media Canvas class I taught</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJFlPeZGnTtqch2JGmKLzOQWCSVDJy7-zxhmySeO8lq6iN5wS8Uj3DztNVmTSTvPRSu0SrgBPNYq3D13OvpW26-X7uBz6f2dJSfFumfsZGzDJh_lTI_vBrpI29TnA1oJeQU_Ijz4PMszN/s1600/IMG_0273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJFlPeZGnTtqch2JGmKLzOQWCSVDJy7-zxhmySeO8lq6iN5wS8Uj3DztNVmTSTvPRSu0SrgBPNYq3D13OvpW26-X7uBz6f2dJSfFumfsZGzDJh_lTI_vBrpI29TnA1oJeQU_Ijz4PMszN/s320/IMG_0273.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgsINhCPeQ3Yn7m2K6iASDuYrx0zZsrXoHNJ2Whk6L0ZnQEtQy_XLYpuhKeGkF6JrwtUpENFfR4sXUFrAkMZ65KEj7ix9cFiC-ODYU8WpBxq0mXW5u_EnjOS0WFEVE6gGvWSaf0OAAwUI/s1600/IMG_0282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgsINhCPeQ3Yn7m2K6iASDuYrx0zZsrXoHNJ2Whk6L0ZnQEtQy_XLYpuhKeGkF6JrwtUpENFfR4sXUFrAkMZ65KEj7ix9cFiC-ODYU8WpBxq0mXW5u_EnjOS0WFEVE6gGvWSaf0OAAwUI/s320/IMG_0282.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the finished canvases</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4DtCfpk_jrkzxpWOQGVZ_hRK7nWEjNFmCM0zoaHiMKcbUscK1hobKtSyo8OOdWNeu-pxmdFf3jJcWDyaTyxQPgUr6Hi7lU9LfMagMHqgFHVz-R4mqT7eezbSg9VhfaJUlVKIXVae9qKu/s1600/IMG_0285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4DtCfpk_jrkzxpWOQGVZ_hRK7nWEjNFmCM0zoaHiMKcbUscK1hobKtSyo8OOdWNeu-pxmdFf3jJcWDyaTyxQPgUr6Hi7lU9LfMagMHqgFHVz-R4mqT7eezbSg9VhfaJUlVKIXVae9qKu/s320/IMG_0285.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I won this tape gun in the silent auction! Makes me feel like a secret agent..or super crafter LOL!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpn3tExpAI7nl5uNO0eJFoHN6E3gjIP14FeFjt7vW5xtodgsD2mofdJuzGDeJM8_b1HmGGVN3A5S2JENoFgVChYs_VUhA-sePCBIBVI-IZL6cbC1sSmJT2RhpE8gItku8MhQbQXCwuybtv/s1600/IMG_0287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpn3tExpAI7nl5uNO0eJFoHN6E3gjIP14FeFjt7vW5xtodgsD2mofdJuzGDeJM8_b1HmGGVN3A5S2JENoFgVChYs_VUhA-sePCBIBVI-IZL6cbC1sSmJT2RhpE8gItku8MhQbQXCwuybtv/s320/IMG_0287.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my fave layouts I finished</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAEQ7d0xQWUJUk2nMgFaCQOc23QfHjAX0GGBErA3kLWsO4WWk4hp1SqkjcgoQ_h2k1N2Cl3sz_m8DUTbdIxBZ90VFxPy1SpJDEyPJXmZHTPUjnaTr1wcnZ4AiIi_eldEgQx61zoLavYGBA/s1600/IMG_0290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAEQ7d0xQWUJUk2nMgFaCQOc23QfHjAX0GGBErA3kLWsO4WWk4hp1SqkjcgoQ_h2k1N2Cl3sz_m8DUTbdIxBZ90VFxPy1SpJDEyPJXmZHTPUjnaTr1wcnZ4AiIi_eldEgQx61zoLavYGBA/s320/IMG_0290.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another layout I loved!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG44qO4fuPLvPEkX1Pw83rcqFboWFH8WoKDmuhDZ58Re-_ZBBej0XoWKCBrNQ3SSMr_F8veHUVuo-3H76eOO7U_ObwCqa86SmVrS0cXkoKThtBs9o5D8NIz6lsxCwcmjpr51NxVYQdus8R/s1600/IMG_0268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG44qO4fuPLvPEkX1Pw83rcqFboWFH8WoKDmuhDZ58Re-_ZBBej0XoWKCBrNQ3SSMr_F8veHUVuo-3H76eOO7U_ObwCqa86SmVrS0cXkoKThtBs9o5D8NIz6lsxCwcmjpr51NxVYQdus8R/s320/IMG_0268.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had a Tiki Bar with Yummy Non-Alcoholic Daiquiris..I had two..they were soo good!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjg-JdU1UxB7_pqpWWWX-qKaaTMTI-AC5om9_UPfQG3AkFO5Vhld8ru9agWScxBO6VeruOELmEdr_d1Sl90csvO4OyZOr7OxIEmdpvXBxEIMJDy5B6Yos9McUseQJuPih2iHOfLlykilY/s1600/IMG_0269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjg-JdU1UxB7_pqpWWWX-qKaaTMTI-AC5om9_UPfQG3AkFO5Vhld8ru9agWScxBO6VeruOELmEdr_d1Sl90csvO4OyZOr7OxIEmdpvXBxEIMJDy5B6Yos9McUseQJuPih2iHOfLlykilY/s320/IMG_0269.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is only half of the room we were in. This place was packed to the nines!</td></tr>
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Here are some highlights from this wonderful weekend. We had 49 crafters, 5 vendors, 3 project classes, and 42 hours of Scrapbooking Heaven, to say the least. I haven't even mentioned all of our relaxation services, Silent Auction and Brown Bag Deals, and Raffles galore. Seriously it was like Nirvana for Crafters! We may just be a small community but we go BIG or go home and in this case, none of us wanted to go home! I think I am in for some serious withdrawals after all the planning, organizing, prepping, and just plain fun I've had these past 6 months to get ready for this event and now that it's all said and done, I kinda can't wait for the next one! <br />
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But until then..I will keep crafting, creating, and sharing!<br />
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Cheers!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-41066391693315164632013-02-23T10:18:00.000-07:002013-02-23T10:18:55.801-07:00The best crafts are the ones you can eat....Seriously!!AHH..I love Saturday mornings! I get to sleep in an extra hour (usually), I get to enjoy a gourmet cup of coffee (usually during the week I sprint out the door with a basic cup but on the weekends I can take the time to make a latte or froth the milk, etc.), and I get to sit in my comfy chair while I browse through Pinterest or other internet interests. It's my time of bliss. So hard sometimes to find those few moments where I just relax and do what I want, without having a task or to do list in mind, so I try to make my Saturday mornings a priority for me and my own peace of mind.<br />
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This Saturday morning I found myself wanting to record on my blog one of the projects I finished this week. Every have those times where you get an idea stuck in your head and you just have to see it through?! I get tunnel vision like that all the time. I'll get an idea or project in my head and it will sit there in my consciousness like a stone until i do something about it, doesn't matter if it's impractical or time consuming, it will bug me and bug me until I pull it out of my brain and make it 3 dimensional. *Sigh* that's what it was like with the knitting I did so much of last week...now that I've done a few scarves the feeling has passed. This week it was the idea of making a Candy Bouquet for a donation. I just had it in my head at first to make a small one, nothing big or expensive, but then when I went shopping for supplies it morphed into two Candy Bouquets, One big one and one Easter themed one and I couldn't seem to stop myself from grabbing a myriad of candy confections and treats to stick in these bouquets. Suffice to say I totally blew my original budget out of the water and went a little overboard on supplies, but my children and hubby thanked me in the end because they got to enjoy the leftovers *L*.<br />
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No sooner did I get home then I had to go downstairs to my craft room and start pulling out tissue paper, cellophane, floral foam, skewers, and hot glue galore. I couldn't just put my stash away for another day, no, I had to grab everything and play!! Two hours later I had two Candy Bouquets completed that looked Good enough to eat (Seriously my 6 year old even offered to help taste test, which he did with some of the candies as I created) and my craft room looked like it had been struck by a tornado, but I was sated. The tunnel vision had passed and I was able to think clearly again, for the moment.<br />
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Here are the results of my tunnel vision:<br />
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Since then my tunnel vision has started to twirl and whirl again, this time with thoughts of the scrapbook kits I need to get ready for next weekend, along with my overly organized desire to get organized and packed for same event. Oh well, this is my life..better take the time while I can this Saturday morning to sit back, enjoy my coffee, browse through my new Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine, take a moment to relax and breath and then.....GO!!!<br />
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Cheers!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-70676221207980052242013-02-14T22:06:00.000-07:002013-02-14T22:06:45.389-07:00Just 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 <a href="http://www.goallnight.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Go All Night Scrapbook Fundraiser</a> 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!).<br />
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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:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDp3kHAWHKFBXKYmbDb35GX-8T4OaGPwRWB6AAVrzD4MZHyMG-V8dTk87m3l1G_9RIeikDnnr0ovmNaPCFJdBLn97E7HkARvrOZKAbu-UBWEhS2IPnDTxOnIG4WismwAr2IiRqaDIxURrO/s1600/078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDp3kHAWHKFBXKYmbDb35GX-8T4OaGPwRWB6AAVrzD4MZHyMG-V8dTk87m3l1G_9RIeikDnnr0ovmNaPCFJdBLn97E7HkARvrOZKAbu-UBWEhS2IPnDTxOnIG4WismwAr2IiRqaDIxURrO/s320/078.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Had to include the Swallowtail stamp for one of the cards, it's such a beautiful stamp!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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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:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8j3scRk-qEQ4P9iqg9dFFGwZpCoDdYM4Dqr65HPsxqQZD7WezFFfBY4LuMwGX_MlCyzMaFaUZOQNFlRho2RrNpJysY2XWijtcMt-oYGA-WOsH9-9Z_olnK6mZGhlNVgPRlyrYQiCj80IX/s1600/076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8j3scRk-qEQ4P9iqg9dFFGwZpCoDdYM4Dqr65HPsxqQZD7WezFFfBY4LuMwGX_MlCyzMaFaUZOQNFlRho2RrNpJysY2XWijtcMt-oYGA-WOsH9-9Z_olnK6mZGhlNVgPRlyrYQiCj80IX/s320/076.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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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 <a href="http://www.simplysimplestamping.com/" target="_blank">www.simplysimplestamping.com</a> . 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!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RNAxkThOFIOLpkBlFpaqgbZRaRerAYN50EfMEzZVieH_ekI2oGjxjvojJGak2x7GJD6ahiQXwFyrX84Xeo-vf9vme3u2dFZMG8o0Xp5RhYa9C0Phhd0DrVsW-SQqJQn3KZczS6RS1XA7/s1600/079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RNAxkThOFIOLpkBlFpaqgbZRaRerAYN50EfMEzZVieH_ekI2oGjxjvojJGak2x7GJD6ahiQXwFyrX84Xeo-vf9vme3u2dFZMG8o0Xp5RhYa9C0Phhd0DrVsW-SQqJQn3KZczS6RS1XA7/s320/079.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have a Flash Card to Go kit in each color palette from Stampin' Up!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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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).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NNAKbDT4Ci4HLRci-bbhVt7_wtzmfshIKCDqHpGu8z3NfnhaohgMZ-tTpIXdEfP1aaryg4Y1_WAoSnlBGEhy1MRVrkcG8RQI9AbD5MHdrmeE3sy0lG2qFo_HrLEJljSmcMiSheTvQdrF/s1600/074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9NNAKbDT4Ci4HLRci-bbhVt7_wtzmfshIKCDqHpGu8z3NfnhaohgMZ-tTpIXdEfP1aaryg4Y1_WAoSnlBGEhy1MRVrkcG8RQI9AbD5MHdrmeE3sy0lG2qFo_HrLEJljSmcMiSheTvQdrF/s320/074.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just one of the many layouts I've done that needs photos and embellishments to be completed</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarJvY6nhww20Cz0XgTe2nr7XtbVhXs2VQwWsRCues7pjSYWhRXLhFHh12-SdzjlA-SRhvT4JNqqk6LnvW8cFL96yY65nxrkVdrIvLgkhNrXyWAYqKeeIW2y7Gv5OLXEp4xJKAqc-ivG_t/s1600/081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarJvY6nhww20Cz0XgTe2nr7XtbVhXs2VQwWsRCues7pjSYWhRXLhFHh12-SdzjlA-SRhvT4JNqqk6LnvW8cFL96yY65nxrkVdrIvLgkhNrXyWAYqKeeIW2y7Gv5OLXEp4xJKAqc-ivG_t/s320/081.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love how this star turned out, but I need to finish it's mate!</td></tr>
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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! :)<br />
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Cheers!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-7427379482175448732013-02-14T12:23:00.003-07:002013-02-14T12:23:57.432-07:00Just gotta multitask!Hey Everyone, <br />
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So I realized something last night as I was watching t.v. and catching up on my many PVR'ed episodes of 'Nashville', 'CSI', and 'Criminial Minds'...I am incapable of just watching t.v! I can't just sit there and focus fully on the show I am watching. Either I am reading a magazine, playing on my tablet, writing down a new to-do list, folding laundry, or in the case of last night, knitting. I am addicted to multitasking or I just don't feel like I've made productive use of my time.<br />
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Anyhow, last night I was knitting and what I was knitting was one of those decorative ribbon scarves that I've seen so many ladies in my community wearing lately. Turns out these scarves are surprisingly easy to make and I can finish one scarf in about three episodes..ahem I mean three hours *L*. They are so pretty and come in so many fun colors. I've made three already and I've ordered yarn so I can make five more! Here's a picture of the one I just finished and the yarn I plan on using for a new one!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGaXW3e1pW3WSGF9zYyBcKXz0KkgG7YpEMv2Uee3gblJIaBvqKVOEPCM_lGEUE0Q1_7WeMz9tnzUk7idoIMDQRrN2O_CP9mn6oj_nFuQ7OuMFYBHWWSQCHHQaiVHtYRKM8f0Z57ZS8f2-/s1600/knit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGaXW3e1pW3WSGF9zYyBcKXz0KkgG7YpEMv2Uee3gblJIaBvqKVOEPCM_lGEUE0Q1_7WeMz9tnzUk7idoIMDQRrN2O_CP9mn6oj_nFuQ7OuMFYBHWWSQCHHQaiVHtYRKM8f0Z57ZS8f2-/s320/knit.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
I'm thinking if I make enough of these, I might show them off/sell them at an upcoming Crop event..but we'll see how far I get with that idea. Considering how easy they are to make, I feel guilty charging anything crazy for them and I wouldn't either. Just gotta say, before I knew how to make them I bought three of these off of someone else and paid over 5x the cost of making them!! YIKES!<br />
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Anyhow, that's all I wanted to share today. I have some more t.v. to catch up on, since this is my week off of work so I'm sure I'll get a lot more done :)<br />
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cheers.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-51729985728568250552013-02-08T15:38:00.000-07:002013-02-08T15:38:19.582-07:00Go Figure!Happy Friday Everyone!<br />
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As you know, I love being the creative Gemini and one of things in my tool belt of creativity is photography. I have a home based business called "Gemini Arts Photography" that I've been lucky enough to do since 2008. I love taking photos and have had a special place in my heart for photographic memories every since I was a little girl looking at my grandma's photo box. <br />
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So last weekend, I was given the opportunity to take photos for the High Level Figure Skating Club. I have to admit I was a little nervous, as I sometimes get when working with new groups. I want to make sure my clients are satisfied and since I haven't taken many sports portraits I wasn't sure what they would expect or that my photos would be up to scratch..just me being a little insecure that's all.<br />
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Anyhow, here are some behind the scenes and sneak peeks of one of my clients. She's such a vibrant young lady that it was a pleasure to capture her spirit on film, not to mention that she was a great sport letting me wrap her in twinkle lights!!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No we're not setting up for a magic act! LOL</td></tr>
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After some late nights editing and figuring out the technical aspects of uploading photos for clients (give me photo editing any day over figuring out mass emailing technicalities..that's where my hubby comes in, he knows computers way better than I do!!), I sent off all of my proofs today and have already gotten back plenty of positive feedback about the photos. PHEW!! Clients are happy, which makes me happy :).<br />
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Have a great weekend everyone!<br />
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P.S. I'll be sure to post next week as I have a break and I'm going to be busy crafting - getting things ready for the Go All Night Crop happening March 1-3rd, here in High Level. I've got a class project to prep for; some Stampin' Up Make N Takes, Inventory, and sales to get ready; my own kits to put together for personal crafting enjoyment; and some planning/packing to get ready for 'The Big One'. <br />
Check out the link below to read more about this great event!<br />
<a href="http://www.goallnight.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">www.goallnight.blogspot.com</a> or look for the page on Facebook!<br />
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Also a special shout out to Connie Stewart at <a href="http://www.simplysimplestamping.com/" target="_blank">www.simplysimplestamping.com</a> Her Flash Card Series is AMAZING!! and I'll be promoting her blog and flash card kits at Go All Night!! Her site has been such an inspiration for my own cardmaking.<br />
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Anyhoo, that's it for now..CHEERS!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-72632248219571572792013-01-20T13:00:00.000-07:002013-01-20T13:00:52.629-07:00Creatively Christmas Part TwoOkay so I know it's the brand new Year and not actually the holidays anymore but you'll have to cut me some slack since I only just took down my Christmas tree today! 2013 seems to have hit fast and hard in my house and it's been so tiring and hectic that today is the first time we've all been home to actually get stuff done..the serious after holiday cleaning is still being procrastinated on..I'm thinking February LOL! <br />
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Anyhow, I wanted to share some photos from my holidays because although I didn't post, I was busy crafting and I DID get my FIL's quilt done! I was pretty happy with how it turned out and he loved it, which was the main thing. I even have more fabric should I be ready to tackle a new quilt any time soon (though I tend to sew only every few months..it's so hard on the back to sew for those long hours, don't know how hardcore seamstresses do it...says the scrapbooker..haha)<br />
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So here's what the finished quilt looked like:<br />
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Aside from that I made some homemade snack mixes for gift giving! The kids and I made Smore's snack mixes that we gave to my co-workers, their teachers, the daycare staff, etc. I only wish we had saved some to snack on at home:<br />
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Then of course there were the Christmas cards I did with some students from work and of course I had the best of intentions to get my cards out to F&F before the holidays, BUT I just sent them out last week *sigh* oh well, better late than never! Really I know this reflects bad on me and I seem like the worst of procrastinators *L* but normally I am a very organized and efficient person..truly I am! I am!!<br />
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Finally, I did some baking and I tried some new recipes from Pinterest. I Love how easy the recipe was for making this French Bread, I learned more from the tips and techniques than I did the recipe itself. Did you know you can speed up the rise time by placing a warm wet cloth over your dough and popping it into a microwave (don't turn it on) that has been pre-run for 2 minutes. the residual heat in the microwave and the wet cloth provide an optimally warm moist environment for the dough to rise in, my dough rose in 30 minutes instead of the normal hour...I LOVED THAT!! Tried the same technique on my Cinnamon bun dough last week and it works great! Now I'm more likely to make more bread dough recipes because I always hated how long the rising process took. Anyhow here is how the bread turned out, we've gone through 5 loaves already!<br />
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Oops, forgot one more thing..See told you I was busy last month..can I use that for the excuse why I didn't post ;P I must share my photos from the Stampin' Up Cookie Basket Classes I did..these were so cute and the cookies were delicious and fun to make!<br />
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So that was the Month of December in Pictures, pretty much! I did spend my two weeks of holiday blissfully relaxing and catching up on PVR'ed tv shows, holiday movies, and just some oldies but goodies. I shared time with F&F which is always fun during the holidays and despite January kicking off with a bang, it's also been a good sign of the year to come! So I'll be posting again soon with more fun stuff from my Gemini Life!<br />
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Cheers!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-49556909448120225242012-12-11T13:01:00.000-07:002012-12-11T13:02:26.363-07:00Creatively ChristmasHi All,<br />
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I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner, just under two weeks away! Eeek! Sorry for posting late, as usual. I have had every good intention of getting my blog up to date because I have been busy creating over the last month but I've also been seemingly too busy to sit down and jot a post. It's harder than I thought to keep a blog going, even with reminders.<br />
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Anyhow enough procrastinating. As I said, it's just under two weeks until Christmas, my favourite time of the year, and I'm only halfway through a quilt I'm making for my father-in-law. I had the great idea to make him a throw quilt with images of his family all over it, since the man spends most of his time in his 'bear den' and nothing means more to him than his family. I know this is a gift that will bring about the waterworks - his son loves to make him cry..everyone says he's mean to do that but really, I know the real reason why he likes to do it - because then it means the gift has really touched his father and means something to him. My father-in-law really is just a big old teddy bear and nothing gets him more than sentimental stuff.<br />
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I'm still not done the quilt but I thought I would share some images of my project so far and I'll post the finished product once it's completed (hopefully before Christmas Eve!).<br />
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This first image is of the pieces all cut and organized ( I may be disorganized when it comes to time frames but I am definitely organized when it comes to my projects :-)<br />
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Next is a photo of the start of the quilt. I'm about halfway done the front of the quilt and then I'll need to figure out how to sew the back part on so it doesn't bunch.<br />
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I can do a basic quilt like this but trust me, I am not nearly advanced enough to put the cool swirly designs on it, etc. I think he'll like the finished product though. Stay tuned for more pics, and Happy Holidays Everyone!<br />
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CheersAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-90177781011951857632012-10-16T16:08:00.000-06:002012-10-16T16:23:27.353-06:00Wonderland of fun Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This will be a short post today, just updating on material I posted previously. I finally got my butt in gear and wrote up the tutorial for making the Mad Hatter Hat. So anyone that wants to try this at home, here are the instructions to do so.<br />
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I hope you can see the instructions ok, I'm learning as I go and enjoying the journey :)<br />
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I also got the chance to show a couple more ladies how to do the Hatter Project and their creations turned out beautifully as well! I just love how the Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante Paper coordinates with these hats. I do want to try making one more hat with my Stampin' Up papers though, because I'd love to see what effect a different style of paper has on the overall look. I'll keep you posted.<br />
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Take care and have a great week.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-89709181466310895052012-10-09T11:38:00.001-06:002012-10-09T11:38:11.242-06:00What 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! <br />
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!<br />
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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!<br />
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From Left to right - my teaching demo, Monica's, and Kathy's</div>
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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: <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/283586107757269658/" target="_blank">http://pinterest.com/pin/283586107757269658/</a></div>
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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!!</div>
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Until next time...</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-29810152688187861262012-08-31T11:17:00.000-06:002012-08-31T11:18:40.299-06:00Back to life, back to reality...I am currently in denial that School is about to start and that it's time for me to be back at work. I've had the summer off and it was relaxing enough to make me feel refreshed and just busy enough that I didn't want to pull my hair out. My oldest son starts grade three this year and he's happy to be going back to his old school and seeing his old friends that he's missed; my youngest son starts kindergarten this year and he can't wait for his school to start so he can ride the bus (meanwhile, mommy is still in denial that her baby is old enough to go to the 'big school'); and my little girl starts Headstart Preschool this fall as well and I can't believe how much she has grown this past year and the things she has picked up developmentally..sigh...can't we just keep them little forever :(. <br />
Strangely enough I'm looking forward to the teenager going back to school because I feel like we haven't seen much of him this summer and we seem to touch base more often and chat more often during our drives to/from school each day and I missed him even though he was right under our noses, I feel the need to reconnect.<br />
Creatively I can't say as I've been taking advantage of these summer months to do much. I didn't do much baking, crafting, or cardmaking. About the only thing I took advantage of was my photography - taking wedding photos and vacation shots. I made a summer to-do list and I procrastinated until the very end of summer in completing it (which is a good thing I guess since my priority was to hang out with my family, which I did!). <br />
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I did finally get my creative juices flowing and finished two papercraft projects that I was very very happy with the final results. I'll post the picture for the one project here: My Mad Hatter's Hat, which I will be teaching as a class for an upcoming crop. At first I wasn't happy with the grungy modge podge look of it, but after a day or two I realized it worked for the final result and I'll keep it.<br />
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I loved the challenge of making this and the final result. I made it completely from scratch using thin chipboard, papers, and embellishments. So cute and it's inspired me to make a matching Hatbox to go with it! I'll post pics when I get that project done.<br />
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Anyhow that's it for me this Friday afternoon, gonna enjoy my long weekend and hopefully get inspired to do a lot more crafting while the motivation and ideas are percolating in my brain.<br />
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Talk to you soon!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-29893293094359759312012-07-06T11:42:00.001-06:002012-07-06T11:44:01.817-06:00...and so it began!You know the old saying, "you never forget your first!" Well I think that applies to all things in life, including crafting. I've always enjoyed trying new things when it comes to being creative - sewing, baking, cooking, photography, knitting, cross stitch, home decor projects, etc. I like the challenge of creating something and having it turn out like I pictured it in my mind. Having said that, the one thing I never tried was Scrapbooking!<br />
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I have an addictive personality when it comes to anything creative..I can't just go all in and give it a whirl, no I have to collect all the supplies first in order to feel fully prepared to take on the task ahead and as far as scrapbooking goes I knew that could be a fairly costly venture. So for many years I stayed away from it. I tried my hand at digital scrapbooking at one point in 2004 because when my first son was born I wanted to capture his first year and I figured digital scrapbooking wouldn't be expensive at all. To be honest it wasn't really my cup of tea. Mainly because the program I had at the time was a little restrictive and slow so my end product felt a little simplistic (when I look back now I love that album for it's simplicity but it wasn't something I appreciated then).<br />
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Anyhow I finally took the plunge again in 2008, because I signed up for a Card Making club with a Stampin' Up Demonstrator in town. I thought card making would be a fun and simple way to try Scrapbooking without the expensive tags attached, boy was I wrong! Card making was like a gateway drug for me..there were so many pretty papers, stamps, and tools to collect. The techniques kept introducing me to more products I just had to try and have. Then a friend offered me her Lot of supplies that she wanted to get rid of and that was it. I had become addicted. Since then I've continued to collect tools, stamps, supplies, papers (I have a true addiction for these..the styles, designs, colours..oh my!), my husband finally had to build a craft room for me to work in because I kept toting my stuff upstairs and turning our dining room into my own personal work station. I've delved in even deeper now by financing my addiction through my personal home business with Stampin' Up..such an easy thing to do since I love their products and I've met so many great people through Stampin' Up Card Clubs and Technique clubs.<br />
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I thought I would share with you the first Scrapbook Layout I completed. I was pretty proud of it. It had started as a digital sketch but that just didn't give it enough life for me, so I decided to try creating it with actual paper, adhesives, chipboard, etc. and I am so happy I did. It turned out great and like anything else I do creatively, it opened a doorway for me to express myself, challenge myself, and share my life with others.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-46084890052126359532012-06-27T14:05:00.002-06:002012-06-27T14:09:03.018-06:00Blogging and BakingI can't believe I have just one more day of work (with my day job) and then the summer is mine to create, craft, and of course..bake! I love baking but I have to be in the mood for it or creatively motivated. In this case I am being creatively motivated to do a lot of baking for my Uncle's 60th birthday party on Saturday. I love my uncle Doug and I'm happy to contribute however I can to making his party a success and in this case that means baking up a storm over the next couple of days! <br />
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I've been spending the last few days getting my baker's "hat" on, figuratively speaking, and trying to figure out what's best to bake, what I should store it in, where will I store it, and again..what to bake?! I am one of those people that, before I do anything, I have to be mentally and physically prepared to complete the project from start to finish. On the upside this makes me a great multitasker, but on the down side..I am one hell of a procrastinator too! I should have started my baking process on Sunday but here it is Wednesday and I'm just getting started..but that's okay, I work well under pressure!<br />
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Anyhow, I thought I would share with you one of the yummy ideas I'm planning on making. I've only made these once and I'm still amazed by how well they turned out the first time. I'm crossing my fingers they will turn out just as well, if not better, the second time around.<br />
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French Macarons! I'll include the link for the recipe at the end of this post if anyone else wants to try them. <br />
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A few tips I will note, as I learned from my mistakes the first time around..1) make sure you have a good mixer or hand blender for when you are making the meringue. My mixer does not do well with small amounts so I was pretty much just stirring around the egg whites instead of whipping them and it took me 10 minutes to whip them by hand. 2) The recipe says to use paste food colouring and I highly recommend this..I used regular food colouring and while the cookies still looked okay and tasted just as good..as you can see by my photo - the colours came out more pastel than bright!<br />
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I made sure I understood the directions well before I started and that I had the right baking tools on hand. It paid off to be prepared, because in the end the recipe is actually very simple to make, as long as you are using the right equipment. For example, I made sure I had a good sieve for sifting the icing sugar and ground almonds..it made it so the cookie batter was nice and smooth.<br />
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Also it is very important to let the cookies dry before baking and to make sure you adjust the heat as directed on the recipe so you don't burn your cookies and so they are able to rise properly and develop the 'claws' on the bottom of each cap.<br />
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I'll post pics soon of my second attempt, unfortunately I won't be able to let you taste test them..but I can do that for you :) hehehe. Just teasing..here's the link for the website where I got the recipe (Giver's Log). I'm very happy to send more people to this blog..it's got some fabulours DIY ideas!! <a href="http://www.giverslog.com/?p=1089" target="_blank">http://www.giverslog.com/?p=1089</a><br />
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Have a great day! <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125839540979181035.post-41832587573468021482012-06-22T12:09:00.000-06:002012-06-22T12:09:34.353-06:00Creatively Challenged!It's a beautiful Friday morning here in High Level, Alberta..which isn't saying much because our weather is so typically Albertan that by this afternoon we could have thunder showers or even (dare I say it) snow! You just never know. Despite all that I love my hometown and I've always been proud to say that I hail from here. <br />
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I've had a few other blogs and they just haven't seemed to stick so here's hoping better luck with this one. The others weren't for me I think because they limited me, or rather I limited myself with themes, topics, and/or just used them to vent. Not saying that I may not vent a time or two on here but for the most part I want this to be a positive virtual space where I can share all my many shades of creativity with you. <br />
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To start I thought I would show you a project that creatively challenged me and was inspired by Susan Lui's 'Little Darlings' Mini Album on the G45 blog, you can see the post here. <a href="http://g45papers.typepad.com/graphic45/2012/06/marvelously-magical-mini-albums-a-tutorial.html#entries" target="_blank">http://g45papers.typepad.com/graphic45/2012/06/marvelously-magical-mini-albums-a-tutorial.html#entries</a><br />
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I loved the look of the mini album and wanted to figure out if I could do it myself. I think that's where a large chunk of my personal creativity comes from..trying to figure out how things are done, put together, how different elements fit, and to be personally challenged to create something wonderful is truly a gift in itself. I get so giddy when the end products actually look like I want them to or have worked out similar to the original inspiration. I still doubt my skills a lot and I never seem to believe my stuff looks as good as the original but in the end, who cares. I made it!<br />
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Anyhow here is the project I made, my very own 'A Ladies Diary' Mini Album. My version is an 8x8 album made from the Graphic 45 'A Ladies' Diary' Paper Collection. I also made all the paper and ribbon flowers for the cover and I was very happy with the end result. The album was made from scratch using Stampin' Up's Very Vanilla Cardstock, G45 papers, and various embellishments from Prima Marketing and Webster's Pages. I love how it turned out in the end, now I just have to figure out what I'm going to add to the inside pages or who I'm going to gift it to..decisions decisions.<br />
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That's all for now, see you next time!<br />
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Tammy<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09340554870361343337noreply@blogger.com0