Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!  What a gorgeous fall day of sunshine and gorgeous fall colors!!  I am so grateful for a boatload of things but in particular I am thankful for my health and the health of my family.  Every day is a gift.  Every day.  The difficult ones and the outstanding ones.  Last year at this time, I was in so much physical pain I wasn't sure at times how I was going to make it through another day.  I know the Lord carried me through those times and I am so thankful that He is there always.  No matter what.  No matter where I am or what I'm going through.  Today I am thankful for this verse:

"Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  

Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." 

Joshua 1:9

I love the basic message of this verse.  "God will be with you wherever you go."  It's one of the first verses I taught all three of my kids since they were tiny.  In this journey called life, I believe I can face anything because of that one truth.  

Speaking of basics, the cards that I've posted are something I put together for a few teachers who completely blessed me and surprised the socks out of me!  I came home one day and this fabulous, tall tree/plant (you can see it peeking in the corner) was on my step!!  It was beautiful.  They had gotten together and purchased it for me out of gratitude.  I was shocked!  Who does that?  It's definitely the most beautiful (and biggest) plant I've ever received.  Here's to hoping I can keep it alive.  : )  

So, I had a wee bit of time to put together a few quick thank you cards and this is where I love coming back to the basics.  All I had to use on these cards was Spellbinders Labels One to get my simple message across.  There are some gorgeous new dies coming out (believe me!!!) but it's great when you can stick to the basics and still come out with a pretty creation.  

I hope and pray that you are finding lots to be thankful for.  Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by my blog.  I'm thankful for you...my blog friends!

Blink Blink

THIS....is my eleven year old.... 

Do you know why she is smiling so big?  Not because I threatened her to show teeth.  LOL

Maybe because she turned TWELVE today!!  I can't believe it! 

Acutally, this is her 'first day back to school' photo so maybe it's because she knew she was going to be turning 12!!  I am still shocked and stunned that I am now looking up to my beautiful (once Little) princess and that she is not even a teenager yet!  I have to remind myself of that at times.  She is such a kind, tenderhearted, mature and energetic girl that I think she is older than what she really is.  Still in grade 6.  Not in middle school yet.  Yet has grown by leaps and bounds in so many areas!  I'm so proud of her.  (Can you see me BEAMING?!!)

I love you so much my sweet Ashley.  I'm humbled to have been blessed with such a fabulous daughter and there is not a day that goes by that I don't thank God for the most amazing gift ever.  Keep lettin' your light shine girl!  I know you are already making such a difference in this world and that you will be used in so many incredible ways.  Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for being such a blessing to me.  

Keeping It Simple

Have you ever been to the Emmys?  Baw ha haaa, me neither!!  Can you believe that Spellbinders was there last night?  Sooooo exciting!!  They were able to 'share the love' with the stars with a gorgeous, hand crafted bracelet.  We also got to make one at the retreat.  They are sooo cool!  

Although I haven't ever made it a to a red carpet event, I just have to share my teeny bit of fame with my blog friends!  Canadian Scrapbooker featured my card on their site today!  It was in their latest, fall issue.

And this is the card of mine that they shared.  It's using one of Spellbinder's newest dies; Majestic Labels Twenty-Five.  This is such a cool die because there are so many things you can do with it!  And as Jackie pointed out at Canadian Scrapbooker, Spellbinder's dies just make cardmaking SO simple!

I love this sentiment because it says more than just Thank You.  kwim?  It's from a JustRite Stampers set called For All You Do Vintage Labels Three.  The paper is Heidi Swapp and Webster's Pages and the wooden butterfly is from Prima.

There is NEVER dull moment in our house hold and sometimes I think there is way too much going to give any kind of update.  The long short of it is, despite the fact that I finally got all my teaching credentials transfered here to Canada, I still did not end up with a teaching position this fall.  Very hard to swallow because I had my hopes on a few.  Good news.....more time for crafting!  (well...maybe in a perfect world! LOL)  I think the kids being 9, 12 and 14 has kept us extremely busy!  Wouldn't trade it for the world.  

So, lately it's all been about simply for me.  Before I sign off, I must share a recipe I found on pinterest.  I am obsessed with pumpkin recipes at this time of the year.  This one?  Two ingredients.  Easy peesy!!!  And I got it from this blog.  

Keep it simple my friends!  Enjoy your beautiful day!

Spellbinder's Design Retreat!

It's Labor Day Weekend!!!!  Or Labour Day if you are in Canada!  I hope you have great plans to wrap up this summer...can't believe it's over already!

Here is a card I created with some JustRite stamps and Prima paper.  The background is Shabby Music and the rose is from the With Sympathy set.  Spellbinders released some incredibly gorgeous dies this past month and the one I've used here is called Captivating Squares. I created the card before my trip for our lss here.  And we JUST got all the new dies.  It's been a frenzy for sure!  They are flying out the door.  Too much fun!

Okay, I've been wanting to do a post about my Spellbinder's Design trip to Phoenix but I wanted to wait until I had time to edit the photos.  um...that's not going to happen any time soon.  Sooooo....I apologize for the quality of these photos.  They are just with my iphone and the are quite bad quality.  I had so many and some that I was waiting to get from a few others that took pictures.  There might be a few more photos trickling through my next few posts.  LOL

To start out, we have the top photo with the three of us long time friends who have stuck together through design teams, Spellblogging, teaching, demo-ing...you name it and what a journey it's been!  In the center is Stacey Caron who first presented us with this opportunity and has believed in us along the way. Kazan, Holly and I met five years ago and have become very good friends over time. Many more memories were made at this retreat.  So grateful for them!

I had the awesome privilege of rooming with the very talented and amazing Windy Robinson shown in the center photo.  It was such a blessing getting to know her on a personal level and I'm thrilled that we are now on the same team together.  Also shown here is another long time Spellbinders buddy, Judy Hayes!  Such a sweetie and always so inspirational.

Guess what?  We even had a few fieldtrips.  Yup.  These were much more exciting than your trip to the local aquarium!  One of the trips was to the Spellbinders office where you can see Ken Oliver and co-worker turning a Grand Calibur® into a...pet?  LOL  Keeping it fun!  That's what I love about this company!  While at the office we got to see the warehouse *gasp* and then we ended with a bezel buffet.  Oh my!  Baskests and baskets of bezels that we got to pick from.  Nice!  Oh and speak about keeping it fun.  Hello.  i pic Theater!!!!  Lounge recliners with blankets, pillows, dinner, candy and popcorn while watching the movie.  I've only just 'heard' about such a place!!  The gorgeous gal in the blue is AJ Otto.  She is such a kick in the pants!  I'm so glad we got to spend some time together.   She is the new DT coordinate for the Design Team and they are in for such a treat having her. The photo was taken at the Fun Stampers Journey office and warehouse.  Boy that was placed with oozing with gorgeous decor and inspiration! AJ fit right in.  : )

So here is the complete new Inspirational Team that I am on with Stacey in the middle.  It was so great to finally meet Tina McDonald, Leslie Langdon and Windy Robinson.  We are quite a team and some fabulous bonding time....Kim?!!  Where are you??!!  Clearly I need more photos.  LOL  Also, the designers from Australia put on a tea with a spread of their 'special' treats.  Ever heard of Tim Tam's?  If you've been there I'm sure you have.  Thanks to both of you!  Great memories!

While we were there we were spoiled with a few jewelry class from Juliana Hudgins and the Beadalon Jewel Loom.  I loved it!  Got my tools.  Get ready to start seeing some jewelry posts!  I also loved seeing Cindy who rocked the entire event and my new friend Janice!  Woot...go girl!

This gorgeous piece is by Linda Peterson, the mixed media queen!  It was so neat to meet and take a class with her as well.  And the Lovely Linda posing with me...(she came all the way from Australia!  Check out her fabulous creations on the Spellbinders blog!)  Also the EVER and ALWAYS inspiring Becca Feeken.  Fun to see her the entire blog team again.  Then there was John from Imagine Crafts.  He pretty much had me constantly in stitches.  He also sent us all home with prezzies...awe!  Can't wait to get my box and play with some of those new products!

So, lots and lots more photos.  There are so many great people I got to see again and meet for the first time.  Just couldn't get them all in at this point.  BUT, the lesson in this post is don't wait for the perfect photo to get your scrapbooking done.  Get them together and jot down your memories before you forget!  Sheeeshk.  I must be getting old. 

Thank you Spellbinders, for such and incredible trip and for all the years you have believed in me! 

Magestic Labels Twenty-Five Encouragement!

Hello my blogging buddies! I am finally getting all back to normal after my AMAZING design trip to Phoenix with Spellbinders.  I will do a post all about it but I haven't even got my photos of my phone yet.  Yikes!  I came home and hit the ground running.

This is a card I created before I left.  It's a one that means a lot to me today.  I found out this week that I did not get the teaching position that I was hoping for this fall.  It's hard moving into the future without a full time job but I have to keep trusting that I am right where God wants me to be and that He will continue to open and close the doors.  Deep breath.  Wouldn't be able to make to do this without the strength that He has given me.  So.....that's the significance of this card for me.  The yummies all clustered in the corner come from Webster's Pages, Want2Scrap and Prima.  The paper is also Webster's Pages and Prima.  I used one of my favorite Spellbinders dies (I have lots of favorites!) called Magestic Labels Twenty-Five.  Check it out!  It's a beauty!  The stamp is from an awesome set designed by Nina B for The Craft's Meow called Beautiful Hymns. 

Are you ready for some exciting news?  Spellbinders is having another Frenzy!!  Woot!  What does that mean?  Tons of fantastic inspiration and incredible give-aways to go along with it!  All the details are on the Spellbinders Blog.  Good Luck!  I'll be posting about our retreat soon so check back!

Have a super fabulous day!

Hello...

Hello!  I've been anxious to share this technique that I tried out that I haven't used a whole lot but it was super fun and now I might just be hooked!  I started but cutting out some canvas using Spellbinders A2 Distressed Edges.  Then I chose my stamp set which was GinaK Designs Wild Flowers (LOVE this set!)  I painted my stamps and stamped it right onto the fabric canvas.  To get a layered look, I stamped it a second time in a lighter color.  Then I stamped my sentiment and cut it out with Spellbinders Labels Thirty-Three.  This is the sweetest lil' label ever.  I think it's a new fav.  A few foam dots to adhere the sentiment and I was done!  My own mini canvas in card form.

Not sure how we hit August but I'm okay with it because that means only FIVE more days until I leave to Arizona for my Spellbinders retreat!!  I am beyond excited!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

New Spellbinder's Dies!!

It's hotter than ever and yes, I'm posting a Christmas card!!  CHA is in full swing and I am so excited to now be able to share some of the cards with you that I have done with the new Spellbinder's dies that were JUST released today!  There lots and lots of fun new Christmas ones.  This is a gorgeous wreath called Build A Wreath.  It's a lot of fun because you can make it turn out different every time!  And don't you just love the big bow?  I used gold foil paper and black velvet paper for my card.  The sentiment is from JustRite Stampers and the glitter is Martha Stewart.

If you want to get an up close look at some of the new dies and more projects made with them, you can check out Create and Craft where Kim does a stellar job showing them off on the live channel!

I hope you've gotten a chance to see some peeks of all the new goodies coming out this week at CHA.  Do you have any favorites?  I'd love to hear!!  I'm loving all the chalk paper.  So fun!

Well, me and my fam are off for a little get-away time in the hot, hot sun.  I can't get enough.  LOVE it!  I will definitely be sharing more projects with the new Spellbinders dies when we get back.  I wish I had of gotten my camera fixed before we left.  I might have to snag one off the kiddos.

Enjoy your ice tea and sunshine!

Happy Birthday Shaped Card

It's somebody's birthday today!  I have a little birthday card inspiration for any of you who may need it.  This is a card that was published in the Paper Crafts Birthday Creations Vol. 3.  I've had a peek and it's jammed packed with cool ideas!

I used Spellbinder's Labels Twenty-Nine and Splendid Circles.  The gorgeous rose pattern paper is from Crate Paper.  I chose JustRite Spring Words for my stamp sentiment.

If you haven't tried a shape card yet, you should!  They are super easy and lots of fun.

Have you seen the new bezel hat pins from Spellbinders??  They are soooo cool!  I can't wait to play with them.  Soon.

Off to an interview.  Smiles.