I am drawn to books like a thirsty traveler to an oasis. I read every night before bed and if I can’t for some reason, I have a difficult time settling into sleep. I love the tactile feel of the pages and have not yet adapted to digital formats like my husband. I love the look of text flowing across a page and disappearing into another time and place. It took several years of marriage before I could convince my husband that when I was reading, I was ‘doing something’ and that he did not need to leap to my rescue by pointing out other entertainments or ‘things to do.” I come by it honestly. My mom is a reader and in fact has a couple of rooms in her house filled with books. I remember her getting a box of books every month from some far off library, and…
Enjoy Local Scrapbook Activities A few times a year, which is all I can squeeze into my schedule, I take great pleasure in attending an evening crop or class at a local scrapbook store. I usually try to round up a few friends, but I don’t mind going by myself either. It is just lovely to be surrounded by fellow scrapbookers and their creative energy while working on a project uninterrupted by the details of home. I always meet some new people and learn some new things. Inspiration is everywhere! I am lucky enough to live in an area that has a number of scrapbook stores within a reasonable driving distance. Treasured Memories, in Edmonton, has late night crops running throughout the year and often has special themed weekend crops. These typically include dinner, dessert and many snacks, goodie bags, door prizes and a photo booth. I was able to…
Hello all! It’s the start of another month and the countdown is on to the holidays! Today, I’m sharing the December sketch for our Sketchy Challenge! Have you checked out our gallery yet? Lots of inspiration to be found, both in sketches AND our readers’ designs! You can view it HERE without signing up, but to upload your designs and to comment, you will need to register and log in. It’s easy – most of the information can be found in our Before You Begin and FAQs links on the left side of the page. Here’s the December sketch: So,… (*looks around, furtively*)… do you want to know a little secret?? 🙂 Usually, the monthly sketch comes from a sketchbook of ideas that I’ve created at random, but sometimes, just sometimes, the sketch is inspired by a layout that I’ve created on a whim! That was the case in this month’s…
Yummy Bo Bunny neutrals and Canuck Crafts Spectrum Noir Bendable Pencils! Materials: Bo Bunny patterned papers, stickers, flowers, wood embellishments and jewels, Canuck Crafts Spectrum Noir pencils, and blender marker, Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L. Canuck Crafts Spectrum Noir pencils are so creamy and rich that they make them the perfect way to add colour to these beautiful Bo Bunny papers. I used them under my embellishments to create a beautiful peek-a-boo of warm colour. I started by drawing a line where the edge of my photo will be and then colouring in areas around it. I ran out of blending solution for the pencils, but in the pinch I discovered something fantastic!!! I used my blending Spectrum Noir Marker to polish and blend my colouring. This makes it look like water colours, but without the bubbling and wetness of traditional water colour pencils. So the next time you want a…
Hello everyone! I wanted to share a quick idea with you today to pretty up your gift giving ideas, especially since there are 85 days left till Christmas! Supplies used: Paper Mâché mini hat box (Michael’s); Die Cuts With a View burlap paper; Tim Holtz vintage button; Maya Road trinket pins; Sookwang double sided tape; scraps of felt and ribbon, hot glue gun. To create the burlap flower, I traced around a small cup and cut 4 circles out of the DCWV burlap paper. I then folded each circle in half and then quarters and attached them to a circle cut from the double sided tape, with their points meeting in the middle. Using a strong wet adhesive, I attached a vintage button to the centre and ruffled the edges of the petals to distress them a bit. The felt flowers are very simple as well: Cut a strip of…
Hi everyone Jodi Wilton here today to share with you a fun, summery layout using one of my favourite summer lines this year by Simple Stories! I love all the possibilities with this collection from using them for scrapbook pages, pocket pages, mini’s and cards! Here is the layout I created full of summer fun: I love to layer on my layouts and by using the chipboard stickers, bits & pieces, and enamel dots; a layout can come together super fast and easy! This layout was create in under an hour! I used Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L Foam Squares to give the embellishments some extra dimension too! One of my favourite products from this collection is the Insta-Squares! They are fun small embellishments that can be used for all different projects. For my layout, I added them as a fun embellishment! Thanks for letting me share a little bit of my…
Have you had a chance to peek at the August 2014 sketch in the CS Sketchy Challenge gallery yet? Here’s the layout that inspired the sketch: Supplies used: Bazzill Basics cardstock; Crate Paper patterned paper, title and stickers; Me and My Big Ideas puffy sticker (feather); Close to My Heart ink; Silhouette Cameo and sketch pen; Fineliner Script font; Heidi Swapp distressing tool; Stampin’ Up! stitching template and doily; My Mind’s Eye journaling card (Remember This); Lawn Fawn, Doodlebug Designs and miscellaneous sequins; Freckled Fawn wood shapes; KaiserCraft pearls; Recollections washi tape; Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L foam squares. There was a lot of everything going on here! I find that I tend to do more fussy cutting when I’m at a crop (this was completed in February at Younique!) because I can concentrate on the socializing more! 🙂 I used the Silhouette Cameo sketch tools for the journaling – perfect for when…
Hello everyone! I hope you are enjoying our beautiful spring weather! On Sunday, we revealed the new sketch for our monthly Sketchy Challenge. Not familiar with our Sketchy Challenge? It’s a monthly sketch, designed by yours truly and posted in our online gallery (and on Facebook too – like us HERE!!). It is an open challenge to all, and while we’d love to see you showcase Canadian products, there is no requirement. PLUS, if you use our sketch for your project and share it in our gallery, you have a chance to be published in an upcoming issue! For more details, click on the Helpful Links on the left in our gallery (see here). Here’s the June 2014 sketch: For this sketch, I used a few older photos, taken on Christmas Eve 2000. I love scrapping older photos – not only do you get to enjoy a favourite hobby, but…
Happy April Fool’s Day! Hopefully you haven’t been pranked today! The good news about today is that it’s the first of the month – and you know what that means!! Time to reveal the new Sketchy Challenge sketch! Here’s my sketch for April 2014: In packing for a scrappy weekend in February, I came across these adorable photos of my son, try to help his daddy hang new shelves in his closet. Hard to believe that that wee peanut is now 5’8″! Here’s my layout which inspired the sketch: Supplies used: Bazzill cardstock; Authentique patterned paper; Silhouette Cameo die cutting machine; cut files (Loni Leah Designs tag, Studio Calico heart border); American Crafts Thickers and twine; Prima wash tape; Evalicious badge button; My Mind’s Eye tab sticker; Stockade wooden stars; Craft Smart metallic paint; PaperMate Flair pen; miscellaneous buttons from my stash. Here’s a few detail shots: I hope you’ll play along and…
Happy Tuesday everyone! Today I am sharing a layout I created using a military themed lined of products from FabScraps Materials: FabScraps patterned paper, stickers and chipboard, Clearsnap ink, Beacon 3in1 Adhesive, Dymo tape, Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L foam squares. I wanted my layout to hint towards the military nature of the Museum we visited so I cut pennant flags from FabScraps paper and arranged them like a soldiers medals. I curled the paper with my fingers to add dimension to the page. I used Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L foam squares to attach the flags so they will stand up from the page. Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone! To see more of Christy’s work visit her blog – Creating a Life I love to Share