Rich Heritage Layout

Hi friends!  We’ve been busy trying to soak up the last few days of summer.  Tomorrow my lil’ guy (not so little anymore) starts his first dive class to get his Jr. Padi so there will several trips to the valley for that!

I wanted to post a quick layout that I did for the Spellbinders™ Blog this week.  On the blog you can read a tutorial about how to create your own embellishment using the Spellbinders Paper Arts™ Edgeabilities.  I was actually kind of tickled to see that Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine highlighted my layout on their facebook page.  Thank you! 

This is one of my fave layouts ever because I love the expression on my Grandma’s face.  She is such a classy 90 year old! 

Supplies:  Spellbinders Paper Arts™ die templates: E8-001Classic Scallop Edgeabilities®, S4-346 Labels Twenty-Two, LF-005 Grand Peony Creations, LF-006 Wonderful Wings; SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES BY 3L™ E-Z Tape Runner; Want2Scrap Black Self Adhesive Bling; Pattern Paper: KaiserCraft Miss Nelly, My Mind's Eye So Sophie (Birds of a Feather, ) Fancy Pants Designs Summer's End Crisp and Oct 31 Shadows Pattern Paper; Scor-Pal® Scor-Tape; Clearsnap Chestnut Roan Fluid Chalk Ink; Stickers: Authentique, American Crafts, Jenni Bowlin Studios; Trim: Webster’s Pages

Hope your last few days of August are full of inspiration and sunshine!  Thanks for stopping by!

Spellbinders Window Card and trip photos!

Good morning! I finally got some of my photos edited! First, I wanted to share my card that I created for the Spellbinders™ Blog today. I stamped on transparency and added glitter. It was all inspired by the Birthday card my Mum gave me. Thanks Mum! There is a tutorial on the Spellbinders Blog where you can read more about how to create it.

On to a little family business. The rest of my post is photo heavy so I apologize ahead of time! LOL I like to post photos for my family members to see but also it’s another way of documenting memories for me. Just in case I don’t get to scrapping them! And these are just a drop in the bucket compared to all the shots I took. I was so pleased to shoot our entire vacation in manual. Huge leaps for me!

Every summer it seems like we have an extraordinary trip to Canada. This year was no exception and seemed once again to rise above the rest.

Every day was blazing, hot pool weather and I loved every bit of it and as you can tell, so did a few other swimmers in the family!

Here we are at our favorite bakery appropriately named ‘Bliss.’ It’s right on the water front and I’m not sure it gets any better than this!

I wish I had gotten a photo of the restaurant that we went to on our Anniversary. It was divine! None the less, my Mum did snap a photo of us before we left to celebrate 16 years!! My sweet hubby brought me tears when he completely surprised me with the most gorgeous ring. The bliss continues….

Of course the kids loved being on the farm and riding the horses. Always a highlight of the trip!

This year we even got to take two different camping trips. One with our good friends Tim and Karen and the second with my family up to a fishing lake.

It was surreal. There is no way to capture the beauty of it in a photo. It was exciting too! Right off the bat, Ashley caught three fish and was hooked!

Then there was this chickadee who wasn’t so sure about going on the boat at first but eventually she braved it. Either way, she was determined to have fun like she always does no matter where she is at!

This was a trip I’ll always remember. We even ended it with making pull taffy with my 90 year old grandmother!! She used to make it with us every summer when I was a kid. It meant so much to me.

If you made it this far, I have to say, thanks for stickin’ with me in this post and thank you for your patience as I’ve been gone and not had many updates.

Back to our regular scheduling!

Summer Celebration and Edgeabilities

I have another Spellbinders™ Edgeabilities card to show you!  Only this one I created the edge on a separate piece of paper and then added it to the card so it’s more like a ‘border’ than an ‘edge.’  I love this versatility!  You can read more about it on the new Spellbinders Blog. 

Every once in a while a company comes out with a paper that I absolutely can’t get enough of.  This Miss Nelly by KaiserCraft has me smitten and I find myself grabbing for it over and over again!  It is full of roses and the most gorgeous of all colors….red/teal/baby pink/green…..love it!  I also used Gina K. Stamps and Webster’s Pages Resin Flower for the center. 

We just arrived home earlier this week from the most amazing vacation in Canada.  I can’t help but to share a few more photos.  But I do want to edit a few of them first so I’ll save it for the next post.

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Spellbinder's New Site!!!

I have BIG news!!! Spellbinders™ Paper Arts has an exquisite new site! It's the perfect place to host all the new release die templates, inspiration of what to do with them and so much more!

This new site is not only beautiful but it is so easy to navigate around; you are going to love it! Beth Pingry has done an amazing job as Spellbinders Online and Social Media Manager of making sure that you find exactly what you are looking for while being inspired along the way!

Speaking of new release die templates, the new Spellbinders Edgeabilities were such a hit at CHA and are the new 'must haves' for card makers and scrapbookers alike!

So, I wanted to share this card that I created using Spellbinders Classic Scallop Edgeabilities, Labels Twenty Two, and Wonderful Wings die templates; Pebbles Inc. Ever After pattern paper and Gina K Designs All Occasions stamp set. I sewed a bit of colored seam binding to the bottom to add a bit of softness and texture.

I wanted to post this 'Thinking of You' card for a few of my good friends who are really going through tough times right now in regards to physical health. I wish I could have it together to send a card out every time I thought of you or prayed for you. I hope you know just how often that is.

The last few days for me have been so surreal. Our family time this summer has been something I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Today I am feeling so very grateful for the beauty of God's creation that surrounds us, for being in such great health, and for my amazing family and friends.

I have many friends who mean so much to me but today, I have to say that these two gals.....they are the somethin' else. Sometimes I just don't know what I would do without them and sometimes I wonder how was I ever so blessed to be able to work with two of the most fabulous people evah? Yup....these are my fellow Spellbloggers. Together we design and write posts for Spellbinders but beyond that we share such a special friendship that is really indescribable.

Thank you, my sweet friends, for being exactly who you are!

I pray that your day is being filled with the things that matter most and that you find inspiration all around you.

CHA has begun!

Hi there! Things are under full swing at the CHA Summer show. Putting up the booth as a team is always so much fun! I am completely in awe of the fabulous creations the design team has put together using all the new die templates! I am already completely inspired to get crafting again and the show has only just begun!

Here is a canvas piece I had designed for the winter show but haven't had the opportunity to share yet. The Spellbinders die templates I used are S4-328 Foliage; S5-026 Labels Twenty; S5-040 Floral Doily Accents; S5-045 Banner Basics Two; S5-050 Rose Creations. If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you will know how much I love flowers! I always get so excited when there is a new release of them. So, are you ready to see the full release? I'm so anxious to share! If you visit the Spellbinders Blog, you will get to see the long waited for images of all the new dies!

I will try to get some photos from the floor to share on my next post. It's so great to connect up with old friends and meet new ones. And I love, love, love to see new companies, new products; favorite companies and favorite products and of course reminisce about the old. People's reactions as they step into the booth and discover what we've been having to keep secret is always the highlight for me! There will be lots of memories made here this week. I can't wait to share all about it.

Stay tuned.....

Copic Coloring Guide Book Review

I wanted to share with you my thoughts on a new book that I recently received. It’s called Copic Coloring Guide by Collen Schaan and Marianne Walker.

Whether you are new to Copic markers or have created with them for years, this is a great book to have on hand. It has information about the markers, techniques on how to use them and inspirational projects to get your mojo going!

There are actually several different types of Copic markers and this book explains why and how each kind is used. The markers are labeled and catagories with a ‘secret code’ on the lids.

Copic has a color system that including coloring families and it is spelled out in a very easy to understand why as you read through section on it. It also goes on to explain product compatibility.

There are different techniques to be learned with copics ranging from beginner to advanced. I’ve learned that the more you practice the better you become! I’m glad to have this book to remind myself how to do particular techniques such as blending and shading. Other techniques included are Palette Transferring, Feathering and Colorless Blending.

There’s nothing like having a good book full of inspiration on hand while creating. The Copic Coloring Guide has many fabulous ideas of what you can create with your markers. The complete instructions are listed as well as the materials. Who could ask for more?

Here is a card that I created using the new S5-063 Spellbinders™ Lace Doily Motif die template and my Copic Markers. I had fun playing with different colors and trying some shading. And, this time on my card I layered the Lace Doily Motif die template.

As with all things, I know that the more I practice, the better I will be with my Copic Markers. In the mean time, I am so happy to have this book for a reference. I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves color! You can find it on the Annie’s Attic website.

The Spellbinders Get the Knowledge! Blog Frenzy has been so much fun. The designers came up with some fabulous projects and there is still opportunity to see some of the new die templates and even a chance to win a few. More information can be found on the Spellbinders Blog. Did you get a chance to see the new Edgabilites during the Blog Frenzy? They are to die for! Here is a video on all the endless possibilities you have with these. I’m certain they are going to be all the rage at CHA!

Have a fabulous weekend and thanks so much for taking time out of your day to stop by!

New Spellbinders™ Die Templates!!!

Have you seen what incredible die templates Spellbinders™ has come out with for the CHA Summer show?!  Oh my!  The Get the Knowledge blog frenzy has started and there is some crazy inspiration to be found with some of these sneak peeks!!  The entire line of die templates will be released July 19th during CHA but you have the opportunity to see some of them ahead of time!  Check out all the details on the Spellbinders blog.

I made this very simple, yet elegant card using one of the new die templates.  It is called S5-063 Lace Doily Motifs.  It’s truly got to be one of the most beautiful die templates ever made!  All you need is a piece of paper and a card and you are good to go. 

I also wanted to share a surprise video that Stacey Caron, owner of Spellbinders and Kim Hupke put together.  It’s introducing a very cool new product. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOjQVzaN0KQ

Hope you get a chance to check out all the exciting new releases.  Here is the rest of the schedule for the blog frenzy:

July 9

AJ Otto

Gloria Stengel

July 10

Christine Emberson

Michelle Woerner

July 11

Judy Hayes

Heidi Blankenship

July 12

Linda Duke

Tina McDonald

July 13

Sherry Cheever

Lesley Langdon

July 14

Holly Simoni

Windy Robinson

If you’d like a chance to win any of these new die templates, make sure to visit the Spellbinders Blog for details on how to do that.

Thanks for stopping by!

July 4th!

Happy 4th of July!!

Pattern Paper Paper – Echo Park Paper Co.; Cardstock – Best Creation, Bazzill; Stamp – Stamping Scrapping; Bling – Want2Scrap

Just wanted to hop on real quick and wish all my blog friends a Happy, Safe, and Blessed 4th of July!!!  I thank God for all those who have fought to keep this country free.  God Bless America!