Frosty

And now for something on the lighter side! Our youngest grandson Ben, is just approaching 2 & 1/2 years of age. He really loves the outdoors….but not in winter!!

Every time our daughter puts him in his snowsuit, and takes him outdoors, he literally just stands there. We live directly across the street, so we get the advantage of seeing them outside. While our daughter will shovel the drive, and the two oldest play in the snow, Ben just keeps standing there….. He can’t be enticed to play in the snow with his siblings, he is so unimpressed with this cold white stuff. He walks and acts like his Mother just put him in a straight jacket. It really is pretty comical from the warm interior of my living room! This picture was taken in early January when we had perfect snow for making snowballs and snowmen. Lindsay took Ben out to build a snowman – but again – no interest – didn’t want to leave the driveway. Lindsay diligently built Ben a snowman with arms and a carrot nose, and still – nothing doing – he simply couldn’t be enticed to come see it. Thankfully, she patiently carried him over to grab a photo. You can see from his face, he was still unimpressed and would rather have been inside with his cars. Oh Ben, you do make us giggle!

I used two cut files from Peartree Cutfiles to make this page. The “Build a Snowman” and “Frosty” files to be exact. Both cut files were cut on my Silhouette using a fine silver glittery cardstock. You will find all of the Peartree Cutfiles here: www.peartreecutfiles.co.uk/

The patterned paper for this layout was a mix of two Photoplay collections. The solid grey cardstock came from the Christmas Cheer “Solids Plus” collection pack, and the red and black lumberjack paper, that backs the Frosty title, came from the “O Canada” collection pack. I choose the red and black lumberjack paper because it matched the fabric of Ben’s hat, and I chose the grey cardstock for two reasons; it was a grey overcast day, and it fit the mood of my grandson!

Before I assembled the page, I flicked diluted white paint over the grey cardstock to mimic the look of a snowfall. Constructing the snowman was super simple, as I only needed the nose and arms to replicate the snowman in the picture. I completed the layout with hand journaling to give context to the picture. I felt it important to give Ben some understanding as to why I scrapped this particular moment, when he looks back on it in the years to come.

I hope you are also finding fun ways to be creative and pass the time during these COVID lockdowns. I wish you good health and Happy Scrapping!

It Was Always You

Welcome to February! I’ve always loved this month because of the opportunities to show others how important and loved they are. I rarely focus on my relationship when I scrapbook for several reasons; I don’t often get in the picture – I’m usually taking the picture; my children and grandchildren provide me with so many great photos, they are often my go to; and I can’t seem to keep up to date with scrapbooking everything I want to, therefore, I often prioritize other photos over ones focused specifically on my life. When the idea for this layout began forming, I really didn’t know what picture I’d use. However, as I worked away at meticulously stitching all those love knots, it became clear that this layout should be a gift of love for my husband.

I knew I wanted to stitch a heart as the focal point of my layout. My vision included filling the heart with lots and lots of “love knots” – tiny stitches that almost resemble small roses. Paige Evan’s “Split Heart” pattern was perfect for my design. You can find it in the Silhouette Design Store (Design ID 284925). Instead of cutting the design, I used a sketch pen to trace the pattern directly on the cardstock. Using a paper piercer, I manually punched holes around the edge of each heart section, and then punched holes inside for the love knots. I used 5 different shades, and all six strands of pale DMC floss to stitch the completed heart (DMC 689, 604, 761, 818, 3326). I’m not going to lie – this took hours to accomplish, but I broke it down over several days to make it more manageable. Here’s a few pictures of the progress stitching this huge heart.

Once the heart was completed I wasn’t happy with the amount of white space on the layout. I resized the cardstock slightly to allow for a paper boarder all around. The pink paper border is the back side of the Darling Buds paper from Cocoa Vanilla’s, More than Words collection. I adore this collection, and keep turning back to it for more and more layouts. After all the hours of stitching, I decided I didn’t want to cover up the stitched heart too much, so opted for only a couple of embellishments on the heart. All the tags and the word phrases also come from the More than Words collection. The word phrases that follow the outline of the heart, and “love this” photo tag, are from the sticker sheet that came with the purchase of this paper collection. The “remember this” banner is found in the matching ephemera package.

The date was added with Doodlebug Design’s “teensy type”, and I inserted a small Doodlebug pink heart between the day and year to complement the overall theme. The last design step was to come up with a title and a product for it. Thankfully, I have a habit of purchasing scrapbooking items I love long before I might need them! Enter the Starlight puffy letter stickers in pink, white and black, by thickers. Not only were they the perfect complement to the colours of my layout, the sheet provided two sizes of alphas to work with. The “It was Always YOU” title seemed so appropriate to me.

I love this man with all my heart and we’ve been fortunate to celebrate 40 years of marriage together. I can’t imagine life without him and I love how he makes me laugh every day! I hope he feels the love that went into every second of this layout.

Wishing you all a month filled with love! Happy Scrapping!

Always Remember This

Here’s a throwback to summer on this cold blustery January day! My daughter captured this beautiful moment last summer of her daughter. Maddy was singing on the back dock surrounded by the beauty and tranquility of nature in all its glory. I just love the reflection in the water and the colours in this photo. Just looking at this picture takes me right back to that time and special place.

Mixed media is very intimidating to me, so you can imagine how excited I am to have a pre-made mixed media background to work with! The background paper was a perfect fit for this picture, and it came ready made in the beautiful blues and gold. It is from Vicki Boutin’s Ready-to-Use Mixed Media Paper pad. The stars (Puffy Stickers) and gold foil chipboard phrase belong to her StoryTELLER collection. You can find more on Vicki and her products here: vickiboutin.com.

The title, Always Remember This, came from Peartree Cutfiles. I wanted the title to compliment the feel of the picture and the beautiful paper. To achieve this, I backed the open letters with vellum to allow the colours in the background to pop through and to assist in keeping the overall balance of the layout. You can find the cut file here: peartreecutfiles.co.uk/product/always-remember-this/

To complete the layout, a few small enamel dots were added for extra dimension, and the date was applied with teensy type doodlebug design inc. stickers.

I hope this layout has brought you some much needed warmth and memories of warmer days. Spring is only 50 days away, and better weather is on its way. I wish you all good health and Happy Scrapping!

Brrr

Here we are in a new year, with new possibilities and hopes for a brighter future for all of us! In my neck of the woods, we are still in lockdown – we’re to call it a “Stay Home” directive. Call it what you will, we are in for a long winter for sure. So what’s a girl to do to relieve the monotony and distract herself from the long, cold days ahead? You got it – SCRAPBOOK! I’ve always found this hobby extremely therapeutic, so I plan on scrapping a lot in the coming months.

I’ve been having fun this year playing with Peartree Cut Files (https://www.peartreecutfiles.co.uk/all-products/shop/). This is the first of several layouts I plan on sharing. For this layout I utilized two of their files – the Brrr title cut file and the Snowflake Corner cut file.

When I was designing this page, I really wanted the snowflake corners to mimic a snowbank. To achieve this look, I cut the file twice from AC white cardstock. Using Foam Sticky Strips from Taylored Expressions, I carefully backed one of the files to create the dimension I was looking for. The photo below illustrates this. These strips worked wonderfully, and they were easy to use. I’ll be stocking up on more in the future!

Here’s an additional shot to help demonstrate the layered Snowflake Corner border once completed.

I cut additional snowflakes from the Brrr title cut file to allow for more dimension in the upper portion of the layout and to help provide more overall balance. Again, I put the Foam Sticky Strips to good use on the backs of these snowflakes.

The patterned papers and tag used in this page come from Carta Bella’s Winter Market collection and their coordinating Frames & Tags embellishment kit. The background patterned paper is the “I Love Winter” page, and the main Brrr title was backed with the backside of the 3 x 4 Journaling Cards paper.

I’m delighted with how this page turned out. Sometimes, the simple things in life can be the most rewarding.

Thanks for checking out my blog – I wish you all good health and Happy Scrapping!

Reindeer Games

Is there anything more magical than watching a child anticipate the arrival of Santa? Remember those days of dreaming and wishing that Santa would bring you something special? The days leading up to Christmas seem endless to a child. It’s so much fun to watch children anticipate this holiday.

This Christmas was tough for all of us – as adults, we knew we were entering a lockdown on Boxing Day. We were discouraged from having big family Christmas gatherings. Holidays are the epicenter of family gatherings worldwide, but we all understood the importance of staying safe to curb the spread of this nasty virus. Therefore, Christmas – with all it’s usual fanfare and celebration – was quiet this year.

We did our best, however, to make sure Christmas was as magical for the children/grandchildren as possible amidst a pandemic. Maintaining as many special traditions as possible, was the priority of our few days together. Each Christmas Eve, our three grandchildren magically receive “Magic Reindeer Food”, from Cocoa – their Elf on the Shelf. It has been fun watching them spread this magic reindeer food and listening to them talk about how Santa and his reindeer will see the food and come down to their home. A few years back, Owen’s teacher – Ms Jacobson – gave the children in her Kindergarden class Reindeer Whistles. Owen loves to blow this whistle on Christmas Eve, and this practice has become part of his Christmas Eve tradition. With Owen about to turn 8 in a couple of months, I wanted to be sure I captured this magic moment while I still had the opportunity!

The background to this page was created with the “HO HO HO” patterned paper from the Photoplay “Christmas Cheer” collection. I used “Walnut Cream” cardstock from Bazzill on the top portion of the layout to provide a clean backdrop for the title. I cut the tile using the “Blossom” font from an old QuicKutz collection in my scrapbook stash. I used the same red glitter paper to cut the page title and the reindeer’s nose. I wasn’t happy with the bland background under the title, so I splattered white paint for snow, and cut small snowflakes from vellum to help fill in the area. My hopes were to mimic what I saw in the patterned paper below, and I feel it pulled these two sections together nicely.

The Reindeer element was not a specific cut file, but a drawing I found on Pinterest. I simply traced and cut it in Silhouette software to my liking. The list of reindeers, on the far lower right, came from the Cardstock Ephemera package from the Christmas Cheer collection. Once the photos were added, the final touch was to add some journalling to help tell the story.

Watching Owen blow on that whistle, and look to the sky, will be a memory I’ll hold onto for years to come. I’m glad I’ve documented it to share with him in the coming years. May you all stay safe and well and never lose the magic!

Happy Scrapping!

#We’re All in This Together

Goodbye 2020 and welcome 2021! It’s been some time since I’ve been in my scrap room and I’m excited to get back into a creative mode! This is a layout I’ve had peculating in my mind for quite a while now. COVID has certainly impacted all of us, and the Stay Home cut file by AnettsDesigns fit perfectly for the feel I was looking to achieve. While each of us have our own stories to tell about this pandemic, I love how this cut file symbolizes that we’re not alone. We are a street – a city – a province – a country – we are a WORLD experiencing the same challenges, and thankfully – we are not alone.

Our first Lockdown started on March 17, 2020. Little did we know then, that it would last a little over 2 months, and that we wouldn’t be out of the woods when it was over. It was a stressful, scary time when we retreated to our homes to stay safe. I’m a lucky Nana, who lives right across the street from her three beautiful grandchildren. But all the sudden, I was no longer able to go over to play, or read bedtime stories. We communicated daily through video calls. Not as good as being there in person, but certainly a second best, and I cherished those calls daily. Ben, the youngest of the grandchildren, was only 19 months when the Lockdown was called. Far too young to comprehend the enormity of the situation, he was just confused as to why he could not longer play with Nana and Bampa.

My loving daughter, Lindsay, took this photo later in March. My husband and I would go for daily walks, and I would always stop by daughter’s house to see if they were near and could see us outside. Ben caught on quickly and looked forward to “seeing” us through the bay window in their front room. When this is the closest connection you can make, you treasure every second!

For those interested in the scrapping process, I started with Vicki Boutin’s white foundations mixed media art paper. I applied a thin coat of Gesso and let it dry. While the Gesso dried, I sized and cut Anett’s file on my Silhouette using white cardstock. (You can find Anett’s cut file here: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/885200059/stay-home-cut-file-svg-png-pdf-dxf?ref=yr_purchases.)

Stay Home cut file SVG PNG PDF Dxf Silhouette Cameo image 0

Prior to cutting the colourful backing, I used the “Fill” function in the Silhouette software to help map out the look I was trying to achieve. Once the cut file was fully backed, I decided where I wanted the cut file to lay on the page, and very lightly traced around it. The pencil outline helped guide the inking process. Three colours of Tim Holtz Distress Ink were used to create the background (Broken China, Chipped Sapphire, Mowed Lawn). When the ink was dry (I let it sit overnight), I stamped and heat embossed some random stars using white embossing powder. The stars came from My Favourite Things “Unicorns & Glitter” stamp set.

Before adhering the matted photo and cut file to the page, the cut file was backed with double sided foam (1 mm thickness). This took quite a bit of time as I really wanted the vellum windows to remain clear, allowing you to see through to the original page. I’m a lover of textures and layers and creating this slightly raised ‘street’ added another layer to the layout. American Crafts Thickers were used for the title and I hand wrote my message to Ben below it. The final element was adding the “this is hard” sticker from Pinkfresh’s “Let’s Stay Home’ collection to the bottom left of the cut file.

Well, here we are in Lockdown number two. We know the drill, we’re more prepared, and a vaccine is on the way! Here’s hoping we’ll all be able to be out and about safely soon. Until then, stay safe and happy scrapping!

I Just Love Your Funny Faces

Get your silly on for this one!

It’s an understatement to say that Covid-19 has changed our lives. Our entire globe has been impacted, and everyday things we took for granted are no longer quite so simple. Amidst all the stress and changes, it’s important we strive to retain or reshape our normal routines. Before Covid arrived, when my grandchildren physically went to school, I provided daily jokes for their lunch boxes. With the massive quarantine, I looked at a new way of delivering this daily ritual. Thus, the video lunch time joke session was born!

It quickly became a hit with all 3 grandchildren, and it didn’t take long for Maddy and Owen to put their own twist to it! Being far more tech savvy than their Nana, they quickly found the filters in Messenger to add another dimension of fun to our daily ritual. I saved many of their new personas and documented them in layout above. I hope you can feel the fun we were having – making new memories every single day!

I used Paige Evan’s “Speech Bubble Background” cutfile as the foundation for this layout. You will find the file in the Silhouette Design Store and her Etsy Shop. I then resized many of our funny photos to back most of the speech bubbles. The layout was completed with a few Thickers for the title and some miscellaneous embellishments from my stash.

Go get your silly on and be sure to document it for your scrapbooks!

Our Hero

Update: This layout was published in the Summer 2023 edition of Creative Scrapbooker Magazine (page 92)!

What a year this has been! Our son Sean deployed to Latvia in early January as part of the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group. This Battle Group is comprised of 9 nations whose role it is to deter any possible aggression, should the need arise, and to promote peace and security. The Battle Group in Latvia is one of four Battle Groups currently in the Baltic region. The Canadian contingent is the largest of the 9 in Latvia. We couldn’t be prouder of our son and his commitment to serve and protect, but it sure was tough waiting out his safe return in a year where all we knew was turned on it’s head!

With very limited communication with our son, I took to creating a scrapbook page to express how deeply proud I was of his commitment and sacrifice to serve his country. Now that Sean’s home safe and sound, I am thrilled to share it with my scrapbooking community!

Sean is stationed out west and returned to his Fiance Tanis just two weeks ago. His quarantine is officially over today – and he is now able to walk past his front door. I can only imagine how great that must feel!

Deployments mean big sacrifices for both the military member and the loved ones they leave behind. If separation wasn’t stressful enough, COVID pushed it to a level none of us could ever have imagined. As I worked on this layout, I tried to highlight some of the words that came to mind when I thought of the sacrifice Sean was making. I could have gone on much longer than space provided.

The foundation for this page was a patterned paper called Rain Storm from the Serendipitous collection from 49 Market (I’ve had it in my paper stash for some time). I used a free cut file from Paper Issues called “Right on Target”. However, I choose to use the negative space in the cut file, and cut each circular section from coordinating cardstock papers, providing a great space to journal. The circular Canadian flag came from the O Canada, embellishment collection by Photoplay. The metal accents are a combination of Tim Holtz’s “sprocket gears” and Finnabair’s Mechanicals “Steampunk Blades”. Before adding the title, I splattered the layout with black paint to create a weathered look that would match feel of the photo. I created the title by combining the large words from a Cocoa Vanilla collection with black Thickers.

I am so grateful to all our military members and their families. They make sacrifices every day that many of us never think of. We are so lucky to live in a country where we are free, safe and protected. My heartfelt thanks to our military members, past and present – your sacrifices are deeply appreciated!

Born to be an Adventurer

I had a lot of fun making the second folio project that was offered free by Younique Scrapbooking Store in May. I decided to focus this project on some of the beautiful camping adventures Sean and Tanis have had over the past few years.

Front of Folio

This entire project was completed using black cardstock, 3 sets of magnets, the paper pack collection of Echo Park’s “Little Lumber JACK” patterned paper, stickers and chipboard accents, ribbon, and a tree from a chipboard collection by Scrapaholics, called “Snowy Trees”. The title “Born to be an Adventurer” was completed using American Crafts “Comfort” thickers. Two sets of magnets hold the right flap firming in place to close the folio.

Opened Folio

When the folio opens, it reveals lots of hidden treasures. On the left is an accordion style picture gallery that can hold up to 9 photos. It is held closed with ribbon of your choice. The main body of the folio is also held closed by a flap with a magnet (bottom centre).

Accordion Fold Out – Side A – Holds up to 5 Photos
Accordion Fold Out – Side A – Continued
Accordion Fold Out – Side B – Holds Up to 4 Photos

When the main flap of the inside folio is opened, it reveals a waterfall of pictures, with plenty more opportunity to add more photos, notes or memorabilia. This little folio just keeps giving and giving!

Waterfall Reveal
Waterfall 2
Waterfall 3
Waterfall 4
Waterfall 5
Waterfall 6
Waterfall 7

There are so many ways to use this special portfolio, and I’m sure there will be another one in my future. I’m very excited to send this special project out west to my son and his fiance! I hope they enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it for them.

You can find the videos to make this project on the Younique Scrapbook Store Facebook page. There are two video’s to watch to complete the project. Wishing you fun in the creative journey!

Life Unscripted

Life Unscripted

As we begin to enter our third month of lock down at home, it almost seems possible to use this title for any layout I make during these days of the pandemic. Nothing seems the same, and our past “normal” will likely be altered irrevocably. But rather than stress over what was, I’m choosing to look at the what is, and how very lucky we are that our current crisis is nothing compared to the stresses and horrors that our ancestors, and many immigrants have faced during times of war. All we have to do is stay home, stay safe, and stay patient – for months – not years. We can do this.

The picture in this layout represents many things to me. A big sister, looking after her younger brother – children looking out into a world of opportunity – and unconditional love and a willingness to voluntarily help each other. Simple, unprompted behaviour that speaks volumes – life unscripted.  I hope you find joy in the simple moments of every day. These are the treasures that will see us through to brighter days.

The patterned papers, embellishments and stickers in this layout came from Cocoa Vanilla Studio’s “Unforgettable” collection. They were a perfect match for the Ready-to-Use Mixed Media Paper from Vicki Boutin’s “Let’s Wander” collection. These ready to use backgrounds are stunning – and can help you build a quick page with a mixed media effect, but none of the mess! I did trim the page down to provide the spacing for the outside border.  The date was added using Pinkfresh Studio’s “joyful day” mini puffy alpha stickers. They were the perfect hues to compliment all the papers.

The cut file is called “Floral Butterfly and can be found on the JustNick website here: https://justnick.myshopify.com/collections/all. Another fantastic and talented artist – be sure to check out her whole collection!Floral Butterfly

Wishing you all joy in the simple pleasures of unscripted daily life!