Why so late?

Why is it that I always leave posting until at least 10:30 at night? I have an ENTIRE evening to post but no, I have to leave it until the time when I should be going to bed.

Our entire night tonight was a bit "off" because we were supposed to meet Whitney for supper but he got tied up in meetings so that threw us of. We had sunflower seeds and a few minature ginger cookies for supper - isn't being an adult great? I managed to start some of the packing for the cottage - all the important stuff - board games, books, magazines and popcorn! It's going to be a great weekend!

I had this overwhelming urge to create tonight so I put the packing aside and worked on a layout. I'm actually doing a double layout and I"m about 90% done the first page. I like it. It's quite simple but I still like it. I really need to work on adding more embellishments. Or not.

What I REALLY need to work on is remembering I'm doing this for me. For us (Denis and I). So if a page is simple, no biggie.

As promised, here are some projects I did over the weekend.
First a birthday card for my dad (mom, if you are reading, don't show dad ok?).

It's a simple card for a simple guy. I had fun making it!

Next I created two quick books for my niece and nephew. They sent us so many fun anniversary treats that I wanted to create something for them. They LOVE the scrapbooks I made for them and I think they'll like these too!

The first is for Hayden...

Cuz he's a cool dude...

I didn't have very many recent pictures printed of them.
He has ALWAYS loved his thumb (even now at 6 he loves his thumb)...


I made the tags pretty simple

I did add "flair" though - got a bunch at Target for 1 buck!

And here is Miss Rylee's...

Her cover says "you make me smile" because she does ;)

Here she is with Miss Ayla

She LOVES this picture because the card made her laugh. It says "you're not old until the fat lady sings" and when you open it up there is the sound of an opera singer. She laughed FOR HOURS over that card. Over and over and over. And I egged her on the entire time like a good Tia should!

She got all dolled up in mom's red hat society gear...

A view of the book...

Rylee's tags - I told her the panda was sending her hugs from Ottawa...

And the last two tags

Well, I"m off to bed. D is still on the phone with my mom. He's been helping her with some major computer issues for SEVERAL hours this week...I was teasing him that he qualifies for some "super son-in-law" award!!! Ha ha.

Night lovelies!

sketchchallenge

I completed my first assignment even though class doesn't start until next week!  If real school was like this I would have gotten straight As!!!

All I could think about all day was getting home to work on my challenge layout. 

I wasn't sure which pictures I was going to use but when I got home, there they were, sitting on my desk just waiting to be used!

So I already broke my own "rules" for the first challenge - I said I was going to scrap something other than wedding pictures and I said I would end up using colours other than pink and green.

Well... so much for that!

But in my defence one of the "challenges" for our layout was to use pink, green and aqua.  hmmm....that's a tough one for me!

I am totally THRILLED with how my layout turned out.  It took a while, it didn't flow right away. I tried SO MANY different embellishments. I had planned on doing lots and lots of layering but ended up just keeping it simple.

I ADORE these pictures of Jodi and I. My mind was full of memories as I did this page - that was half the fun of it!

For part of the time I worked on it I was multitasking...I was also participating in the chat room for Got Sketch. That was something new for me and I really enjoyed it.  I had no clue what to expect - at first I thought it would be very structured but it turned out to be fun fun fun!

So here she is - my very first layout for the class...

I called it double trouble because that's exactly what Jodi and I are when we are together and there are several boys, bars and even a few basements to prove it!

Well, I was going to post more pictures from projects I did for my family this weekend but it's late and I really should get to bed. I'll try and get to it tomorrow.

Happy creating and 'night lovelies!

Got Sketch? 102

I've decided I need to get away from scraplifting.  When I started scrapbooking I was COMPLETELY LOST and totally overwhelmed by it all so I took a lot of classes.  I pretty much always disliked the paper/colours that were being used in the classes I took so I usually brought and used my own.  I'd also use my own embellishments so in the end my "creations" didn't look much like the originals.

For some reason I've had a hard time getting away from this. I've gone from scraplifting the teacher's layout in a class to scraplifting from magazines or websites.  There is nothing wrong with this - I guess they say imitation is the greatest type of flattery (or something like that). A few things bother me about it though - I spend SO MUCH TIME going through magazines to try and find a layout to scraplift when I could be using that time to actually create. Also, I want to be able to say something is truly mine. I'm hoping to start submitting for design teams in the upcoming year or so so I really need to find my own style.

In my latest blog surfing obsession, I came across Got Sketch 102. It's an online course that has a few sketches a week and you do layouts based on the sketches.  I figure this is a good way to transition from scraplifting to my own creativity.  I'm excited about it because there is a "community" feel to it with its own website and forum - that sort of thing.  Hopefully this doesn't mean I'll just end up scraplifting from the other women on the site - ha ha. It all sounds so dirty - like I'm some sort of paper criminal.

I wonder what they would do to you in prison for scraplifting?  Force you to get covered in paint and glue and not let you wash yourself - I think that would be my worst nightmare. Or maybe there is like AA for scraplifters.  My name is Laurie and I'm a scraplifter. 

Ok, enough of that.

I'll be posting my creations on here.  The "rules" say we can do that! I think I'm going to use pictures OTHER than the wedding so that I can use different shapes and sizes on my layouts.  We'll see.  But what will I choose - so many possibilities. 

Well, I'm going to try to wind down now - Denis and I fell asleep after supper (our busy weekend caught up with us) and now our schedule is totally thrown off! 

Whitney is supposed to be staying with us either tomorrow or Wednesday but I haven't heard from him so I'm not sure if he actually will or not. We also need to get our butts in gear and get ready for the cottage - so much to do!

But it'll all get done, it always does.

Night lovelies

How the heck could I forget???

I wrote an entire list of all the things I love about Denis and I forgot the very first thing that ever attracted to me...

HIS DIMPLES

He has the GREATEST dimples.  They make me melt and are sure to get him out of trouble!

We met online so our "first impression" was based on a picture.  I saw those dimples in his picture and I was hooked!  Fortunately I saw the dimples before the very LOUD Hawaiian shirt he was wearing or our story may not have worked out the same way!!!

We had lots of fun celebrating his birthday.  It took us FOREVER to decide where we were going to eat...FOREVER  Neither one of us knew what we felt like.  In the end we chose Luxe Bistro.  It was pretty good.  Loved the decor/atmosphere. Service was great - the waiter was even taller than DENIS if you can believe that!  

Our meals were good but they didn't WOW me.  And quite frankly I was hoping for the wow factor!  I had shrimp and scallops and D had steak.  Let's just say it's no Beckta. (note to self, need to get back there soon - has been WAY too long, cuz Steve may start to disown me!).

I do have to say - I had the HOTTEST date in the joint - Denis was much yummier than the food ;)

From there we made our way to the NAC to meet a gang of girls to see Wicked. FINALLY.  I have heart Lee and Lynn talk about this musical for YEARS now and have wanted to see it for the longest time.  Well, that happened last night and I was not at all disappointed.  I ADORED the show and I want to see it over and over and over again.  The cast was amazing - they played their parts to perfection. 

Today I'm looking forward to getting creative with Steph.  Steph squared are coming over and I think we'll celebrate D's birthday one more time - he got Creme Brulee instead of birthday cake last night - not quite the same thing!

Let's get this party started!

Happy Birthday Baber!

About a month ago Elizabeth Kartchner did something wonderful on her blog - she wished her husband a happy birthday in a very special way. I don't even know her but it totally touched my heart so I decided to take her idea and do the same thing to wish D a happy 34th (sorry for sharing that babe) birthday!

H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y B A B E R !!!

These are the 34 things I love about you...





I love that you brush my hair - there is nothing I love more than having my hair brushed.





I love when you plan surprise dates for us.





I love that after 3 years of marriage with you I still feel like a newlywed.





I love that you take care of the finances and trash - two things I HATE doing but you are super good at ;)





I love that no matter where we go if you are there we are guaranteed to have pictures.





I love that you constantly tell me I'm beautiful - even on those "not so beautiful" days.





I love that you never miss the chance to say "i love you"





I love your tush - it looks like the tush of a carved statue of a god!





I love that we never have to hire anyone to do anything - you know how to do so many things and if you don't know, you'll learn.





I love how dedicated you are to your job and what a hard worker you are.





I love that I feel safe in your arms.





I love that I was able to count on you through the worst experience of my life and know that you would pull me through.





I love how you take such great interest in anything and everything I do - from my job to sticking a few pieces of bling on a page.





I love that you are the king of packing and I can usually get away with not having to pack my own bags!





I love that you are willing to help everyone - friend or stranger





I love that you are always ready for anything.





I love how your adventurous side balances my "nervous" nelly side.





I love that you made me my very own scrapbook studio and even painted it pink!





I love that you don't consider housework "woman's work" and always help me with it.





I love that you sometimes make me cards because you know how much it means to me.



I love that I can proudly say you are my husband.





I love that when you installed the home automation you even added a "romance" setting.





I love that I never have to remind you about our anniversary or my birthday.





I love that you bring me breakfast in bed





I love that you respect my "no Startrek when I'm around" rule!!! May the force be with you!





I love that you are so much like my dad in all the right ways.





I love that I have the stories of my husband that make all the other husbands look bad. (kidding of course)





I love that we share a love for photography but we each have our own strengths - you the technical, me the creative.





I love how you make a "ceremony" out of the smallest things.





I love how you'll come to all the chick flicks with me and not even complain.




I love that I can truly believe we'll grow old together.





I love that you are as into Christmas as I am and you never complain as we set up the six trees.





I love our silly inside jokes.





Quite simply...





i l o v e y o u





Now let's get WICKED and celebrate this birthday baby!

We are now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Boy! That was a break and a half.  I have wanted to post so many times but there has been SO MUCH going on that I just haven't had the chance.  Plus I had so many pictures to upload from my camera etc...

All that to say I'm back baby!  Grab a cup of java, I think this is going to be a lonnnnng one!

First things first.  A few weekends ago I managed to squeeze 6, yes 6, layouts into one weekend. Here they are!

These first two pages are pics of D and I doing fun shots with the photographer along one of Ottawa's main streets.  I wasn't too key on traditional portraits so we did these instead...

I think I'm slowly gravitating towards a new style - I'm still pretty basic with clean lines but I'm starting to layer more and more.  I used FABRIC for the first time on a layout - just love it.  This is Amy Butler - fabric swatches.
So in love with my new Martha Stewart punch...
Next I did a few pages with the wedding party...I LOVE this paper (also Amy Butler I believe) but it was a kit and I have to be honest - it had the thin cheap paper inside...not a huge fan of that!
For this page I got inspiration from the package the kit came in - love how it turned out.  It's hard to see all the details - there are lots of quotes and fun things!
My next two pages are with a line I just recently discovered and IMMEDIATELY fell in love with!

It's called Webster's Pages

I tried something new - SO out of my comfort zone.  I keep things quite simple when I'm scrapbooking.  I'm known to get glue and SPARKLES everywhere so I generally avoid anything messy!  Well that has changed!  I started using crystal lacquer YEEEE HAW!

For the word "promise" I had wooden craft words that I inked with CTMH ink.  Unfortunately they colour ended up much darker but that's ok.  I then added the lacquer and LOTS of sparkles!!!

I love words - can't help it, I'm a translator!  I got these words last year and this is the first time I've used them (hmmm - what else is new!)
For the second page in this double layout I did a picture of us with our parents. Denis' dad is deceased and well, I had to do a little "crafty surgery" to take someone out of the picture who is no longer in the picture, so to speak.  I think it worked pretty well.
I called it "time flies" because I'm sure for our parents on that day it was hard to believe just how fast time had flown.

There are SO MANY details on this page and honestly the pictures can't do it justice.  I have probably at least 10 Heidi Swapp acrylic butterflies (of all sizes) but they are hard to see. 

I also added a ton of ??? - no clue what they are called.  They basically look like coloured water drops. LOVE THEM.  Once again, first time using them.

Once again I went nuts with the lacquer and glitter (made paper butterflies and "enhanced" them).
You'd be amazed at the things (or people) you can hide behind a clock!  

Ok - now on to some fun stuff!

Last Saturday we decided to take a day trip with Steph2 (Stephanie and Stephane).  The original purpose of our trip was to get Denis new hunting gear for his birthday.  We turned it into a day trip for the four of us and what a WONDERFUL day we had.

Waking up was a bit tough as the four of us (and some others) had gone to Yuk Yuks the night before so we got to bed pretty late. 5:30 a.m. came pretty quickly!  The drive down was fantastic, conversation just flowed. The chemistry between the four of us is amazing.

We dropped the boys of at Gander Mountain for hunting shopping while Steph and I went to explore a scrapbooking store we'd heard about.  I think We B Scrappin is quite possibly one of the best scrapbooking stores I've ever been to.  We didn't know what to expect because the website isn't the greatest.  It was FULL OF GOODIES.  I didn't know where to begin!  I ended up "controlling" myself as best I could because I knew there would be many other stores that day.  I did manage to pick up the Tinkering Ink line I've been craving (Al Fresco) along with another line that is new to me Collage Press.  I'm not sure if it's new to the world or just new to me but I LOVE it!

How could a girl resist papers in her signature colours pink and green???
I also got my hands on some yummy Hambly stuff - I'm totally becoming a Hambly junkie! 
I won't bore you with the details of the entire day but basically we hit many stores and spent lots of moolah!  Here are some other scrapbooking goodies.

We found sweet deals at Target -  lots of Ki stuff - Steph and I split two paper packs

For the girl who can never have enough glitter....GOD BLESS JOANNE'S!  They were having a 40% off sale on all of their scrapbooking stuff that day! Life is good 
Another new line I discovered and feel instantly in love with (probably has something to do with the "sweet" packaging)...

I also managed to buy lots of clothes (all also at 40% off) and....the best part of all...a rather unexpected purchase to go in the Scrap studio...

A    P L A S M A    T E L E V I S I O N

It's probably hard to believe given that I'm married to the "ultimate" gadget guy but we do not have any "cool" tvs at our place - they are all BIG AND CHUNKY.  That is until now!  Denis may never see me again (hey - maybe that's why he agreed to pick up this baby)...

It was a very good deal even with the exchange and duty so we just couldn't resist. 

I've decided that I won't be doing the damask wallpaper on that wall afterall - I think it may give me headaches while trying to watch tv.  I've got a few other ideas up my sleeve instead...

Here she is! (I must apologize for the blurriness and the fact that that's Ben Mulroney on the screen)...

Well, I think my tales of Montreal are going to have to wait for another night.  I've got a few things brewing in my head and I'd like to get to them tonight!

It's great to be back lovelies!

I am moving to Texas...

I recently posted picks of my studio on the Studio Calico gallery as part of a blog contest.  One of the girls that left a comment mentioned that my room looked like a scrapbooking store that she knows of in the States and she sent me the link to the store's blog.  I could only see one teeny tiny picture (AND I LOVED WHAT I SAW) so I decided to e-mail the store owner to ask for more pictures.

I think I've found my next best friend (after Heidi of course because Heidi is very posessive of me and my friendship)...

Check this out - these pictures are from the opening last year.  I want to just run through the doors and roll around in all the pink loveliness.  Does that sound weird?

Our next family vacation will be to Texas I'm sure!  An ENTIRE ROOM DEDICATED TO HEIDI. Seriously - does life get ANY BETTER THAN THAT????

Here you go 

by design scrapbook boutique

let me know what you think!  for now i'm off to work out and then overtime overtime overtime!

Welcome to slackerville...

Well kids
I regret to inform you that I will not be writing much this week - I'm doing lots of overtime for work! I actually don't mind the overtime at all - I'm thrilled! It means that I'll be able to take a few more days off during the year now that my vacation is nearly entirely used up.

I'll see if I can sweet talk Denis into taking some pictures either tomorrow or Wednesday of my weekend creations. I got six, count them SIX pages done! Three double layouts. Woot!

I'd like to give a shoutout to my martini sisters - Chris and Cawi - I miss you kids! (and Denis just said there is a new version of the D80 coming out in a month)...crap!

Love you
moi

Some silly fun!

LIFE QUESTIONS
Hit forward (or feel free to post on your own blog) and place an X by all the things you've done and remove the 'X' from the ones you have not. Answer the 30 questions at the end and send it to your friends (including me). This is for your entire life!

1. Gone on a blind date X
2. Skipped school X
3. Watched someone die X
4. Been to Mexico X
5. Been to Canada X
6. Been to Florida X
7. Been on a plane X
8. Been lost X
9. Been on the opposite side of the country X
10. Gone to Washington , DC
11. Taken a long drive with the one you love X
12. Swam in the ocean X
13. Cried yourself to sleep X
14. Played cops and robber X
15. Recently colored with crayons X
16. Sang Karaoke X
17. Paid for a meal with coins only X
18. Own a GPS X
19. Done something you told yourself you wouldn't XXXXXXXXXX
20. Made prank phone calls (before caller ID) X
21. Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose X
22. Caught a snowflake on your tongue X
23. Danced in the rain X
24. Written a letter to Santa Claus X
25. Been kissed under the mistletoe X
26. Watched the sunrise with someone you care about X
27. Been on vacation with your bf/gf/spouse X
28. Blown bubbles X
29. Gone ice-skating X
30. Been skinny dipping outdoors X

1. Any nicknames? Lo, Lo Lo, Tia Loca,
2. Mother's Name: Antonia Luzia but she goes by Lucy
3. Favorite drink? Diet pop
4. Tattoos? Nope
5. Body Piercings? Nothing but ears
6. How much do you love your job? A lot more than a few months ago!
7. Birthplace? Winnipeg, Canada
8. Favorite vacation spot? Just one? I’d have to say Spain
9. Ever been to Africa? No
10. Ever eaten cookies for dinner? Maybe
11. Ever been on TV? Yes – quite a few times – not proud of all of them
12. Ever steal any traffic sign? Yep, a few
13. Ever been in a car accident? Yes, several times.
14. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 4
15. Favorite salad dressing? Oil and vinegar
16. Favorite pie? Lemon meringue
17. Favorite number? 17
18. Favorite movie? Oh, jeez! Too many to list. Maybe Beaches?
19. Favorite holiday? Christmas
20. Favorite dessert? Must have chocolate – probably brownies
21. Favorite food? Pizza/
22. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
23. Favorite brand of body wash? Bath and Body Works (when I can get it)
24. Favorite smell? Denis wearing his cologne
25. What do you do to relax? Read/watch a movie/scrapbook.
26. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Happy and fulfilled
27. Furthest place you will send this message? Hmmm... not sure?
Okay, so it's not quite 30. Oh well. Thank for letting me share!

Thursday Meli Melo

You know what today is? It's day 1 of our fourth year of married life!!! It's crazy that after three full years I still feel like a newlywed. I guess that's a good sign.

This post will be a bit all over the place - hence the name MELI MELO (it means bits and bites in French)!

For starters, something crafty. I managed to make a quick anniversary card for the D-man the other night.

My favourite part of this card is the way the "happy" stands out. It captures how I feel when I'm with him...happy.

Another thing that makes me happy is the surprises we got in the mail this week! My niece and nephew, Rylee and Hayden, each sent us an envelope of treats.

There were bookmarks...

Cards (and even a Lush postcard courtesy of Rylee - letter and all!)...
I love how lines don't matter to kids. I wish I could write like that when I'm translating rather than having to worry about things like "hard spaces"...

This was from Hayden. I'm hoping it's "hi t" for "tia" instead of "hit" as in "i want to hit you"!!!

And last but certainly not least there were pictures...I only get to see the kids once or twice a year if I'm lucky so I cherish pictures of them. I can't believe how much they've changed. Hayden is 6 and Rylee just turned 8.

This first picture is of Hayden's boots. He is a 6 year old fashionista that boy and he LOVES cowboy boots. (sorry about the picture quality - it's late, quick pics, no editing).

Here is a picture of each of them. Rylee just got her hair cut short - too adorable - really suits her! And Hayden continues to spike his hair like "shark boy"

Now for the pretzel part of our Meli Melo (cuz that's the part I always leave to the end)...

I picked up D from work today with an alterior motive...I needed him to be my coupon pimp at Michaels. You see, when I was there last week, there were double coupons in the flyers. I managed to score SEVERAL flyers so now I need to use those babies up!

Turns out it was a good thing I picked him up because it was POURING rain (what else is new)...

First we stopped at Winners to check out some pink and green damask containers Sharrie was telling me about. Turns out they are the same ones I already have in my studio. They were so pretty in all their pink and green loveliness but alas, I left them on the shelf. I'm sticking with the black and white damask theme.

I did find this in the scrapbooking section - it's a journal that matches my room PERFECTLY. I've decided to use it for sketch ideas and such.

I also scored some Christmas paper. I generally don't buy stacks anymore but I figure it's always nice to have Christmas paper on hand.

The best part was the price, can't go wrong!

We made our way to Michaels and picked up a few things. Denis used "his"coupon for a versamark pad - I've decided that after nearly 3 years of scrapbooking it's time to get into embossing. I picked up the rest - pink bling (go figure) Making Memories tags and Making Memories chipboard letters from the Passport Collection. They were just putting stuff out. I'm hoping to go back tomorrow (with my paper pimp) and pick up a few other goodies!

Ok, poor Denis is trying to sleep beside me so I better sign off before I don't make it to 3 years and 2 days of marriage!

Night lovlies

moi