Seize the Day!

The snow is starting to melt and the weather is beginning to be so enjoyable. Despite the things I have to do, I can't resist hanging out outside just a little bit.

I am excited at the thought of everything turning green and flowering. I don't believe that it will come soon enough for my liking.

But despite all of that spring fever that has built up, I have been busy with many little projects, class preparation and some things to do for the heck of it. Lots of things to talk about in the next little bit.

So, this past weekend was Kelly Malako's Scrapbook Savvy Retreat in beautiful Lake Louise, Alberta. Kelly, I hope all went well!

And another exciting bit of news from a friend of mine. Jessi Lute of Innisfail has been working hard to bring you a great little classroom called The Inked Barn. All that hard work has paid off and she has posted her very first class! How exciting for her! I wish her lots of luck and success.

Psst....if you are up for some cool classes, check her out. I think she'll do just fine. :)

Oh, and of course, I have to say it again, go check out the Prima blog because there is a great big CONTEST!!!

Prima wants to see how you reuse some of their packaging for other projects by Going Green!


There is one grand prize of $200 in Prima product and 2 honorable mentions with prize packs valued at $100.

I highly recommend you give it a try because if you win, you will not be disappointed. Contest closes June 30th, so get your butts in gear! Here's my version to get you going...

Patterned Papers: The Coquette Collection in Tawdry, Trinkets and Vanity by Prima Marketing
Acrylic Hearts: Clearly Fun Shapes by Prima Marketing
Wings: Whispers Angels Wings by Prima Marketing
Crystals: Say It in Crystals in Pink by Prima Marketing
Tin: Twilight by Prima Marketing
Sticker: Love Phrases by Heidi Grace for Fiskars
Ribbon: Offray

Speaking of Prima, my dear friend Anam has done her first sketch for Prima's Build-A-Page.
My dear gal is incredibly talented and she did a wonderful job. So kudos to you Anam! And to celebrate this I did a page right along with her!

Patterned Papers: The Rue 88 Collection in Café Diamant, Rendezvous and Rue 88 by Prima Marketing
Chipboard Letters: Times Alphabet by Prima Marketing
Felt Alphabet: Letter Perfect Felt Alphas
Flowers: Twilight by Prima Marketing
Epoxy Sticker in Cavalier by Prima Marketing
Photo Corner: Just Us Die cuts
Clearly Fun Shapes Acrylic Heart by Prima Marketing
Clear IOD Tape by Prima Marketing
Other Products Used:
Grungeboard Flourishes by Ranger Ink
Chipboard Circle by Scenic Route
Cardstock by Bazzill
Buttons
Embroidery Thread

And Anam, I give you a big hug for lots o' stuff. Just 'cause.

Alrighty, later!

You Gotta See My Class for Scrapbook Your Heart!

Hello everyone! YAY! So excited! I needed to start off this post with my upcoming class for the Scrapbook Your Heart retreat in Caroline. I am completely satisfied with this mini album and I think it should be fun!



And next on the agenda, what the heck is this mess???!!?!?

Yesterday at 4 pm we had no snow whatsoever. This was out our front window at about 10 am. And there looks like there is no sign of it letting up. We are supposed to be getting this for the next 5 days. I can only imagine what it will be like when it lets up. Ugh.

But no biggie. We spent a day hanging out. Trevor has been busy putting our floor in the basement! My room has floor and it looks fab.u.lous!

Mind you, this isn't the perfect picture for it. This is the color under incandescent light. During the day though, the green is a little more subdued. But it feels so energized in there. I happy just to sit in it and take it in.

I am ever so sloooowly putting things in there. We still have to put baseboards in yet, so I can't quite pack it all in there. Patience, Janine. Soon. Soon you will have organization. Soon.


This is kind of a post 'n run kinda deal today. Trevor and I finally get a date night! It has been forever! We soooo need it.

Have a great weekend!

Sunday Morning Mucky-Muck with Ranger Ink and a Raging Case of "Scrapbooker's Thumb"

My thumb is numb. It feels like it is perpetually asleep and has been so since Monday. You see, I was cutting a lot of chipboard and the scissors cut into the base of my thumb and really pinched a nerve. And so I was telling a fellow scrapper about my condition and she replies, "Oh, I had that. It will come back." Really? And how long? She told me it took SIX WEEKS??!!?

Time for some new scissors. But anyways.........

It has definitely been an action packed weekend! Late last night I got back from Pages In Time in Stettler after teaching a clear wall hanging class. The concept was based on the wall hanging in this post.

I have to admit that I was a wee little bit nervous getting up in front of people and teaching. I haven't done so since October at Scrapbooking Crop for Kids. But I am happy to admit that I think everything went great! A great big THANK YOU is in order. I had a great time!

And what a wonderful little store owner Katie and staff has going. All those girls are talented, helpful and friendly. The girls are very technique orientated and know the product. I have to admit they sold me on a few things and got me motivated to get my artsy-fartsy mojo going.

So, Sunday morning that is exactly what I did. I went all "mucky-muck" (that's my tearm for getting my fingers inky and playing around) with a variety of products. All I can say is I am completely in love with Ranger Ink and all their jazzy products!

So, here is what I did............................

First on the list is a great technique for what I can only describe as faux ammolite. You can find the technique on Juli's blog.

I just did mine on a test piece of acrylic and of course I managed to hit it when the gloss was drying. Go figure. But otherwise I love the results.

I also played with my Tim Holtz Grungeboard (finally!) and even did a little scraplifting from his video tutorial. So I made this little canvas. I inked. I applied crackle paint, alcohol inks, Perfect Pearls, and a gamut of other paints and such.

I really loved the heart with wings and a crown. It is adorable. Had to do it too.

For the heart, I painted, sanded, inked and then topped it all off with some Crackle Accents.

For the star, I painted it with the Crackle Paint. Once it was dry, I dusted with the Perfect Pearls. Then I applied Alcohol Ink using my applicator. I then added some more Perfect Pearls and lightly inked with black pigment ink.

See? Just farted around.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Going Green.....

I can feel it! Spring is coming! I can wake up and actually hear the birds singing. And when I step outside, it feels different. I feel like the day is fresh. It feels good.

And speaking of green........

I gotta back up here. Remember when I told you the story of the blue room? Well, guess what folks? I repainted. I went and picked the paint.

My husband had NO INPUT whatsoever. Nada.

I decided to go in a completely different direction. No more blue. Actually, the more and more I saw this color, the more and more I liked it. It's fresh. It's tangy and it's completely energetic!
Drumroll please................................

It is called Split Pea by Benjamin Moore Paints. I think it is a color you either love or you hate.

Here it is with our floor pick. I love the combination together. Toss in some ultra white and some maple with a contemporary design and voila! I am excited.

If you checked out the Prima blog you can see that they are going green as well! We are starting to feature repurposing packaging. And stay tuned, there will be contest details regarding this as well.

They also featured one of my projects today! So, you know how you buy bulk spice and it comes in those bags? You can't really store them nicely and your spice cupboard get to be a freaking mess. Well, I did this................

And they are EXTREMELY EASY. It's sick how easy they are. You know you got some Prima Got Flowers? bottles laying around. Admit it, you do.
So.........
Add spice.
Print out spice names on white cardstock.
Use a vintage stamp. For mine I chose something Prima's Christina Renee Paris stamp set.
Cut out and ink edges and toss through a Xyron.
Done.

It is going to be a busy week ahead of me this week. I am teaching a class out in Stettler that is all about clear. Should be fun!

And just for fun, I'll leave you with this. I am playing with some cool Luxe papers and rubons. Mainly, I am just having fun. See you later!

Work and Play. Work and Play.

This weekend was a complete whirlwind! I made another trip up to Edmonton to visit Trisha, Anam and of course make a ritual stop to chat, ogle and do a little shopping at Treasured Memories. Saturday night, Trisha and I sat down to complete some projects (one of which I will get to later). We had a blast yipping about nothing and everything and scrapping the night away.

Sunday was the really fun part. I took Jacob on his first trip to West Edmonton Mall!


Trisha and I took the boys to go run around and burn off some steam. Jake loved spending an afternoon with his two big buddies, Logan and Carter. We let the boys go crazy in the play park at Galaxyland and then off to more fun at the Build A Bear Workshop.

When it came to picking the animal he wanted, he was completely adamant that he get the moose. He also went straight for the Edmonton Oilers hockey outfit. He absolutely thinks he's great. And considering my husband's interest in moose, he figured this was the obvious choice.

So, like I said earlier I was working on a project for an upcoming class. I was asked to teach a small workshop to my community's day care providers in May.


I am really excited about this class because it is a project that is completely versatile. It is something that not only can the providers whip up for themselves or to give as gifts, but we are also doing a project that is completely kid friendly. We will be discussing how some products to use on this project can be switched out with other cost effective alternatives so they can create these with their kids! I am also going to touch on some finds from the scrapbook store that are great for kids projects.

You know, I gotta apologize for the project pictures. Usually I am much more diligent on this front but I took them on the fly before handing off the sample! But do take note, you'll notice in the background I have poster for the upcoming Scrapbook Your Heart Retreat in Caroline, Alberta, May 23rd to 25th. Don't forget to check it out, we are more than 70% sold out. Get your spot!

Anywho, that is the good word. Talk to you later!