At 12

Still loving scrapping these photos from our Fall family photo shoot in the bush last October.

This photo of Théa really captures her personality.  She is a sweet, empathetic, helpful, shy, quirky sense of humour girl, and I can see it all in this photo.

I used the Scraptastic May Sketch for this layout along with the May The Story I Heard Kit.

Love me some kraft tags, and how cute are those burlap bows?

I just loved this kit.  It was so jam packed that I've created 4 layouts with it, and still have plenty more product to use before I run out.

I would love for you to play along with our sketch too, you'd be up for a $20 gift cert to the Scraptastic store.  You can link up your creations here on the blog.

Happy Friday friends! Pin It

Ready For The Stage

I was so proud of Eden as she tackled her very first Dance Solo ever this past April.  She was fortunate enough to be given a Tap Solo, for which she worked really hard to nail all the choreography she was giving.  When she took the stage she was shining like a diamond.  She had all the personality of a seasoned dancer, and me smiling from ear to ear with pride.

Here she is preparing to go backstage.  It was an early morning start for her category, and I think she was happy to have at least one other Kick It dancer there to help calm her nerves.  Jasmine is not only a ridiculously talented dancer, but a total sweetheart, I think her calm, and self-assuredness helped Eden to remain calm, and focused during their pre-dance prep.

I used a mask and some gesso to add a little more texture to the background paper.

I just had to add the label maker phrases by October Afternoon, they were perfect.

My love of hand stitching made a come back on this one too.

I have been loving all the past new releases by Fancy Pants Designs.  I loved cutting up the patterned papers, and layering all the bits and pieces of the ephemera package.  One of my favourite embellishments in all the new collections are these Library Cards & Pockets.

I think they are perfect for not only adding colour and design to the layout, but also for recording the story behind the layout, without having to really incorporate it into the design of the layout.

You can get your hands on more Fancy Pants products right here in the Paper Issues shop.  If you use my code you'll save 20% off your entire order, who doesn't love to save a little money?!

Thanks so much for stopping by today friends!

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A Great Grid & A Farewell

Creative Scrappers Sketch #269 is live, and it's a really fun grid design, one of my favourite "go-tos" when stumped for creativity.  I decided to use the design to create a layout celebrating our family members.

I used the Apri Swag Bag from Paper Issues to create this layout.  Everything except for the cardstock came in the swag bag, so many funny little bits and pieces to incorporate into your project.  I especially love the the #5 wood veneer, and #18 plastic bingo chip came in my bag as both numbers have significance to me.

You can see that this layout would also be perfect for pocket style scrapping, especially if you use the Simple Stories page protectors with all the 2x2 pockets.

The cut file is perhaps one of my favourite freebies I've ever discovered through Pinterest.  It is a print created by Vanessa Brady, and you can find both the print and the Silhouette cut file here on her blog.  And how awesome is that ampersand wood veneer?  I used gold embossing powder to add a little bling to mine.

See that little embellishment pocket.  I created it by simply taking the spare plastic from an empty embellishment package, cutting it to size and then using my sewing machine to stitch the pocket closed.  The #5 represents the 5 people in our family, and the #18 represents the number of years we have been married.  Pretty cool, that those are the numbers I ended up with in my Swag Bag.
I was initially stumped on how to use this multi-quadrant grid design, but now I'm so happy with the way it turned out.  Love seeing my girls each in their own place.

Wanna play along with us this month.  Link up and you'll be entered to win your chance at a kit from My Creative Scrapbook.  You have until May 31st to link up a new creation.  You can get a little more inspo by hopping over to the Creative Scrappers blog to see how the other designers used the sketch.

This post, is also is my farewell post to Kristine and the crew at Creative Scrappers.  It has been a really delight working with Kristine.  Being a part of this team was the first ever scrappy goal I ever set for myself.  It's kind of surreal that now the dream has been fulfilled, and I'm already moving on. I want to say a huge thank you to Kristine for believing in me, and my talent.  It was a real pleasure working with yours and Jenny's sketches month after month, they have really helped me to push the limits and see outside the box, to create something wonderful.  I wish you and the new team a very fun term, and look forward to new reveals, each Sunday. Pin It

Let's Go

Happy Friday friends!  Just wanted to share with ya'll a layout I had up on the Chic Tags blog yesterday.

The Let's Go Collection by Chic Tags was perfect to document this photo I've been hanging on to since last summer.

Waiting to board the plane is almost as exciting as the journey itself for me.  Call me crazy, but I've always been one to love the anticipation of an event almost more than the actual event or experience itself.  I think it's the dreaming part of what's to come that gets me every time.

Who doesn't love a good piece of flair?  This cute airplane one was hard to actually use up.  And the wood veneer pieces are so cute and perfectly suited to any travel themed projects.  I often just leave them naked, although they are cute to emboss, paint, and ink up also.

This particular photo was taken while waiting out a massive thunderstorm in the Winnipeg airport this past July.  It's not much to look at, but to me this photo conjures up all the feelings of excitement of attending my very first CHA experience.  The anticipation of seeing all my friends, working in the Chic Tags booth with Veronica, Jennifer, and Malika, and meeting people from all over the world.  Watching the lightening cut through the sky and hearing the rain pounding on the roof of the airport didn't dampen my spirits a bit, it just gave me one more thing to enjoy as I anticipated the start of a wonderful week in Vegas.

The clear tags are so fun, and I really love that there are several of each letter of the alphabet in each package.  Just a touch of adhesive on the coloured portion of the tag and they'll stick to your paper nicely.  Here, I added just a bit of machine stitching over top to create a bit of a trail for my airplane veneer piece.

Got any vacation photos you've been hanging on to?  This collection proves that now is the time to dig them out and get scrapping.

Happy scrapping friends! Pin It

Sneaks & Peeks

I have some sneaks for you friends, the June Scraptastic Kits are being boxed as I type.

This Life Noted Kit: Summery colours galore.

Sail Kit full of water themed colours and embellishments.

Best Day Of My Life

my fave this month with woodgrains, pinks, and mint greens.

You can check out previous kits here, and sign up for your own subscription here.

thankful for the short work week here, as we are still a couple of weeks away from finally wrapping up the Dance year.  The girls are smack dab in the middle of their last competition.  I've got a couple of those pix to share with you.

Eden: Tap Solo

Théa & Eden Jazz Line

Isabelle: Jazz Line

Isabelle: Lyrical Line

Théa & Eden: Tap Line

Théa: Tap Small Group

There are over 400 photos, these are from among the first 100 I have sorted through.  I'll have more to come later on.

Happy Tuesday friends, and thanks as always for stopping by.

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#Happiness

The moment I opened by Chic Tags box of new collections I fell in love with  Cloud 9.  So many "happy feeling" colours, papers, and embellishments.  I knew I needed to find a photo that evoked the same kind of feeling.

My friend Tara exudes happiness, she's one of the happiest people I know. Nothing gets her too down, and she brightens the room wherever she is.  She has a kind heart, and gentle spirit.  She laughs easily and is just plain fun to be around.  These photos are from the Winnipeg Crop & Create event in April, a little scrapping, some delicious food, chatting with a table full of friends, and lots of laughs.  A weekend well spent.

Acetate tags, flair buttons, rub-ons, label stickers, and delightful wood sequins.

The wood veneer shapes are so cute too.  Here I simply used a little chalk ink to add colour and help them pop off the page a little better, especially that little cloud that I layered over top of the cloud paper.  A little mist, and a few pieces of bling here and there and I have one happy layout to remember our fun weekend crop.

The Cloud 9 Collection can be found in both the Chic Tags store, and the Paper Issues store where you will receive 20% by using code: Sherri

Thanks for stopping by today friends! Pin It

They're Going Places

The April Scraptastic kits was one of my favourites.  I just love Fancy Pants Designs papers and this kit had no shortage of them.  This is the last layout I created with it, and I still have plenty more kit to go.

The girls play with the violin club at school.  Their teacher is incredible, as far as I'm concerned.  He has taken a small group of kids and taught them to play wonderfully with only 40 minutes a day, one day a week.  The recently had the opportunity to play with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.  How cool is that?  I was so proud of them, I only wish I could have been there to see them.

These words are actually stamps from this set.

The Fancy Pants cork shapes and Jillibean letters were "hoard worthy", but I managed to bring myself to use them.

You can see more of what the DT did with this fun kit in the Scraptastic Gallery here.  And if you're thinking about taking the plunge to subbing you can do that right here.

Thanks for stopping by today friends! Pin It

Chic Tags Sketch Challenge

Jennifer gave us a new challenge over on the Chic Tags blog on Sunday.  I really loved the simplicity of the sketch, and wanted to play along.

There are too many photos with all three girls willingly in them, so of course I had to scrap this one taken a few weeks ago on our back deck as Spring was trying to make it's appearance.  

 The Happy Place Collection seemed fitting to use.  I punched hearts and stitched them to the cardstock background.

There really was not a lot of journaling that needed to be recorded on this layout, so this teeny tiny tag sufficed.  I also liked the idea of having the date right out as part of the design.

Here is Jennifer's sketch.  Playing along, and linking up in the comments section on this post could earn you a Chic Tags prize pack.  Please note we love to see how YOU use Chic Tags, but it is not required for participation in the Sketch Challenge.

 Hop over to the Chic Tags blog to see some other creative takes on Jen's sketch.

Thanks for popping in today friends!

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Sweet Saturday

One of my favourite things about Saturday morning (aside from sleeping in of course), is enjoying my morning coffee with the hubs.  No lunches to be made, no grooming that needs to get done, and no one rushing out the door.  It's a sweet little habit that I thought worth preserving for years down the road when we look back on this life we're building together.

I grabbed Crate Paper's Oh Darling 6x6 pad, the ephemera pack, and some of my favourite {aflairforbuttons} pieces and set to work.

The ephemera pack is jam packed with so many bits and pieces, my favourite way to embellish.  These bingo card style letters were some of my favourites.  I used the word "sweet" to help create my title by popping them off the page.

See that strip of turquoise on the left, and that strip of yellow on the top?  They are both just tear strips from the actual 6x6 sheet.  So fun to have a little extra happy on the top of each sheet.

So many great pieces to layer, and layer.  The flair buttons are from my stash.

You can get your hands on the Oh Darling 6x6 pad and several other coordinating embellishment pieces from the collection right here in the Paper Issues shop.  Use code:SHERRI at checkout to save yourself 20% off your entire order, and all US orders over $60 before discount qualify for FREE SHIPPING.

Happy Monday friends, thanks for stopping by! Pin It

Summertime Awesome

The Paper Issues crew are fortunate to have Simple Stories sponsoring our current issue: It's Raining Cats & Dogs.  We were even more lucky when they decided to throw in some Summer themed goodies for us to play with.  I dug out one of my favourite un-scrapped photos from last summer and set to work.

I chose to go with a grid design to best showcase the collection.  The "awesome" is a veneer that I had left over from an older Basicgrey collection, that I embossed in a coordinating colour.

I grabbed my sewing machine to add a little more dimension to the cards.  I doesn't happen often, but when Belle still lets go and really had fun with her friends, I have to do all possible to try and capture it on "film".

I used pop dots to make the cute embellishments stand out from the page.  Isn't that sun cute?  

Hop over to the  Paper Issues blog to see more projects showcasing the fabulous Simple Stories product.  Linking up with this issue will earn you a chance at a Simple Stories prize package, there will be 3 up for grabs: 1 for a dog themed layout, 1 for a cat themed layout, and 1 for projects that fall within the "other" category.  While you're there you may want to pop into the store and grab some of these great products for yourself.  Remember to use code: SHERRI at checkout to save 20% off your order, and all US orders over $60 before discount ship for FREE.

Thanks for stopping by friends.  Happy crafting!

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A Mother-less Mother's Day

(Please see this post for Creative Scrappers Reveal)

It's Mother's Day.

A day I celebrate with my own girls.  A day I say a special prayer of thanks for the blessing of having each of them in my lives, and for the young women they are becoming.  A day, in which I thank my husband for choosing to join me in this journey of motherhood.

I haven't loved every moment of mothering, some moments, days, weeks are just hard, and some are even harder than that.  There are times where I worry I'm messing them up by things I've said or done, or choices I've made on their behalf, often wondering if I am "good enough" to be their mother.  In spite of all of that there are so, so many wonderful moments. Moments where I am fiercely proud of them.  When they don't give up, when they show compassion and reflect the person of Jesus in their choices and actions.  Those are the moments that have much more impact on my heart.

Mother's Day, however is also a day where my heart aches amidst the joy and celebration of my own mothering.  I've been motherless for 13 years, the ache has lessened, but is always there, some days more than others.  Some day, I just miss my mom.  She was far from perfect, and we sure had our disagreements, but she was mine, and I was hers.

I grieve for the grandmother she would have been to my girls.  I grieve for the loss my girls have experienced even though they never knew her. My heart aches for the friends we may have become in my adult years, the things she may have taught me, the encouragement and wisdom she may have passed down to me.

Mother's Day.  It's a bittersweet day for me.

Lysa TerKeurst had a wonderful blog post last week, so fitting.  The post gives words to what I fail to. Read on, if you too are celebrating with bittersweet joy today, or if you simply want a glimpse into what today feels like for others like me.

*******************************************************************************Mother’s Day for the Motherless Mother

As Mother’s Day approaches, my heart is especially sensitive to my friends for whom this holiday will be hard. I have friends who will be standing by gravesites this Mother’s Day. I also have friends whose moms haven’t been a part of their lives in many years. And those who have challenging relationships with their moms who try to navigate Mother’s Day with grace but some necessary distance.

No matter the circumstances, I wanted a post that could help those feeling the sting of a mother’s absence.

My friend, Lisa-Jo, knows this delicate struggle in deep ways. And from her own pain, she pens these words for us…

My mom used to dance in the mornings.

A happy, shameless jig in her PJs right out there in the driveway as my dad drove us off to school. She’d dance and wave and grin and I could feel the love well up from my toes to my nose. It spilled out of me – this being someone’s daughter. Loved. Cherished. Celebrated.

She’s been dead now 21 years to the day since I turned 18.

Time passes and with it go the birthdays, love stories, anniversaries, new babies, first steps, preschool orientations, international moves, new jobs, hair color changes. And each milestone is a mile more in the road that we don’t walk together.

I am the motherless daughter.

And three continents and three kids later I have grown up into the motherless mother.

Of two sons. And a daughter.

Everything I can’t remember about my mother I see reflected in my daughter’s eyes. I am terrified by how much I love her. How does a mother bear it? The good-bye. Twenty years. Twenty years. It hurts to type it.

Twenty years ago I sat in a pew and sang the last words my mother left for us:

“Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
‘It is well, it is well, with my soul.’”

One week after I’d turned eighteen. I’m thirty-nine today. And I’m still singing it, Mom. I’m singing it still, and I still believe every hard, awful word to be true. That we can sing though the heavens crash open and the world comes pouring down around us. We can raise our eyes and our voices to the hills, where our help comes from, and sing. Even when all that comes out is a whisper.

“Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
‘It is well, it is well, with my soul.’”

So many of us make the journey to motherhood without a mom. Whether she’s absent because she chose to leave or because she was emotionally unavailable or because she died like mine did, we all have to make sense of what that means for our own mothering.

I am the motherless mother.

If you are too, can I take your hand?

Can I stroke the hair back from your forehead and just be here with you? Can I whisper, “I know” and let you cry if you need to? Can I just sit a while beside you as you shout the hard questions?

I believe God can take it.

I believe He invites it.

…the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. Romans 8:26.

Go ahead and groan child. Let the part of you that never got to grow up with a mom, never got to bear down with her as you bore down in labor, never got to introduce her to your own babies — let that part of you weep if she needs to. You are beautiful and loved and not a single tear falls to the ground uncherished by the Father God who holds us both.

You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.
~Psalm 56:8

You are your mother’s daughter, created in your Father God’s image. And nothing can break that.

We’re in this together. Every step of the way. And you are braver than you know, for all the ways you mother.

*****************************************************************************************Happy Mother's Day Friends, in every way the title fits you
xo

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