Believe In Magic

For us, it's not Magic Kingdom that is the Happiest Place on Earth, but Universal Studios!

I love that this place has my girls living unleashed, and with abandon.  Free to have fun, without reservation, or concern of what other people may think about their love for pure kid-like fun.

These pix of Belle make me so happy.  I love that even at 16 she is not embarrassed to have her photo taken with the Grinch.  She was thrilled, in fact to pose for a photo.

Look at the sheer joy on her face in the photo above.  She was tickled pink for the moment she had, just her and the Grinch.

The hidden journaling records my feelings about this brief moment in time.

I just love this Say Cheese II Collection by Simple Stories.  It is perfection for documenting all things Disney.

I sincerely hope there is at least one more trip to this magical place in this family's future!

Thanks for popping by today friends!

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Silent Night

With the hustle and bustle of this team of year, one of my favourite things is to sit quietly with this guy, no tv, no music, and just the lights of the tree to keep us company.

I am glad he's such a cuddler in moments like this.

I used the cute new Wish Seasons to create this layout.  The ephemera pack, once again is my favourite.  So many great tags to choose from in all different sizes and shapes. And that striped paper, actually looks like it's been splattered with gold paint.  Gorgeous.  You can still get your hands on some of this collection in the Paper Issues store.  Use my code:SHERRI at checkout to save 20% off of everything you place in your cart.

Thanks for stopping by today friends, and a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

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A Christmas layout with Claus & Co

Can you tell it's been a busy season around here.  It happens every year; three birthdays, Christmas, church, New Year's Eve and extra dance practices, all add up to a very full few weeks to close out the year.

I scrapped for the first time in 3 weeks the other day, and it felt GREAT!

Simple Stories Claus & Co. collection has so many wonderful patterned papers I didn't want to use any of them up before I had all my photos for the season taken, in order to choose just the right combo of photo and patterned paper.

I took the opportunity with this layout to combine coordinating bits and pieces from past Simple Stories collections to complete my page.  The polka dot frame is from the I Am Collection, and the clips are from the Say Cheese II collection.

Because I usually do not scrap Christmas until after the big day, I tend to ration my Christmas collections.  Here, I've used the smallest pieces of patterned paper to preserve my stash, as well as a couple of tear strips from the bottom of 2 different pieces to add just a tad more colour to my page.

I'm anxious to use up the rest of this fantastic Simple Stories Claus & Co collection.

You can still get your hands on plenty of Christmas themed product right here in the Paper Issues store.  Use my code to save 20% off your entire order of holiday and non-holiday themed goodies.

Thanks for popping in today friends! Pin It

Halloween Throwback

I've been meaning to share these layouts for a couple of weeks.

These photos are from last year's Halloween, as is the Bella Blvd Halloween Magic collection.  I stored them for a full year without putting them to use.  Better late than never as they say right?

Théa wanted to go as a Biker, but I thought her outfit looked more like a Rocker than a biker (plus of course I hope to not see her on the back of a motorcycle anytime soon, lol)

I saw this amazing stitching technique done by the amazing Paige Evans, and just have to give it a shot.  I used my Silhouette Cameo to draw the star with white ink onto the patterned paper and then covered it with folded strips of the coordinating patterned papers.

This next layout was created for the "Orange" challenge at our last Paper Issues on-line crop.  

My nephew's costume was the perfect springboard for it.

The rest was easy to pull together drawing on all of the orange stickers and papers in the collection.

As much as I love layered, and stitched goodness, sometimes plain and simple fills me with just as much joy.

Thanks for popping in today friends! Pin It

Celebrate Autumn

I am not usually one for Fall themed anything. Despite the beauty of the season it is the looming never ending Winter season that prevents me from fully enjoying Fall.  I don't even enjoy the every so popular scent/flavour of pumpkin.  Which brings me to the subject of this layout.

You always know it's officially Fall when photos of people enjoying their pumpkin spice lattes start to fill your social media feeds.  No pumpkin spice for this girl, I am a bigger fan of the Salted Caramel Mocha beverage.  I am also a huge fan of the grid design.

I find that when I am not sure what direction I want to take my layout in, a grid design is a sure fire way to get the juices flowing and complete a project quickly.

For this layout, I've used a few pieces from the Simple Stories Pumpkin Spice Collection, proving that Fall isn't all that bad.  I just love how Simple Stories found a way to create brads that look just like tradition brads without all the hardware.  And how cute are these designs?

I used 3D adhesive to pop my photo and a few other elements off the page to give some dimension.

And the stitched arrows above the ampersand were created using this Amy Tangerine embroidery stencil kit, an old time favourite of mine.

Are you can still working on Fall photos?  If so, you can get your hands on some of this collection in the Paper Issues store.  Don't forget to use my code to save 20% off everything in your cart.

Thank you for stopping by friends! Pin It

Happy Birthday to this guy!

Happy, happy Birthday to this guy!

He is my best friend in the whole world.  The one who can get under my skin like no one else, but in the same minute, also the man who fills my heart with so much love and gratitude.  Not to mention my favourite person to see live sports games with.

Pink Paislee Cedar Lane for the win on this layout, so many great ephemera pieces to embellish with.

My silhouette came in handy for these layered/stitched leaves too.

This guy of mine, he makes my life better, brighter, and I am so grateful to be celebrating him today!

Happy Birthday my guy! Pin It

Autumn Together

Today over on the Paper Issues Blog we are revealing part 2 of the Let Me Espresso My Gratitude.

I focused on my girls for this one.  I just love the Simple Stories Pumpkin Spice collection, and jumped at the chance to use it with these gorgeous photos we stopped to take at this old abandoned barn off the highway on the way to Mom and Dad's.

These girls are my whole life.  They keep me busy with their bigger than life personalities, and social calendars but I wouldn't have it any other way.

The ephemera package in the collection were great for embellishing this layout using several pieces of 3D adhesive.   

I used my sewing maching to add a little texture and dimension to this layout.  Just love the way it looks.

I would love to see some of you link up your projects focusing on things you are thankful for, or coffee (favourite flavors, stains, stamps, cups, etc), you may even choose to use our free November printables.  Link ups may be new, but do NOT have to be, and every link up will earn you a chance at a $20 gift certificate to the Paper Issues store.

And don't forget if you're in the mood for a little shopping to use code:SHERRI, you'll save 20% off everything in your cart.

Thank you for popping in today friends Happy Monday! Pin It

Paper Issues Fall Crop Challenge

Have you been playing along with our Paper Issues Crop this week?

There were over 20 challenges shared last weekend, with numerous prizes up for grabs, and a grand prize of a $100 gift card to the Paper Issues store for the grand prize winner.

I used BasicGrey's B-Side collection to play along with Michelle's challenge to use at least 10 triangles on a page (you could also use squares or circles), to document my favourite nephew's last piano recital.  He was fantastic, and even posed for pix, bonus.

I just love the look of stitching on paper.

The ephemera package in the collection has so many wonderful and unique pieces to it, that putting this layout together, once the triangles were stitched took no time at all. And the resin buttons just adds that extra little touch.

You have until midnight EST tonight to link up your layouts to our PI Fall Crop Album in the Paper Issues Friends & Fans Facebook page.  

Happy Scrapping friends!

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Fall Fire

So many people love Fall for the colours and the flavours.  Me, I hate pumpkin, the taste, the smell, all of it, ew.  And all the pumpkin, cinnamon scented Bath & Body works stuff makes me gag when I walk in the the store.

Simple Stories got it just right, however with their Pumpkin Spice Collection.  I have loved the layouts I've been creating with it.

This was our first (and last) fire of the season after getting mom & dad's hand-me-down outdoor wood stove.  Sitting outside on the deck in our re-done backyard was so lovely.  We were all wrapped up in blankets, and I had my cold weather favourite in hand Bailey's on ice, yum!

Flair buttons from {aflairforbuttons}

The ephemera package is stuffed with so many wonderful little bits and pieces.  These little packages of goodness are my new favourite scrappy product, so many uses.

Hop over to the Paper Issues blog to see all the wonderful other projects some of ur DT whipped up to inspire you for this Simple Stories - Pumpkin Spice spotlight.

Thanks for stopping by today friends! Pin It

Story of Three Friends

Have you been playing along with our Paper Issues online crop?

This weekend we shared over 20 challenges to get your mojo going.  On Saturday night I challenged our members to use 3D adhesive.

I like to use pop up adhesive to add dimension to my layouts.  It comes in especially handy when you are working with collections that do not have a a lot of embellishments to them.

Here I've used it to pop up several of the die cuts from the BasicGrey B-Side ephemera package.

And here I've used them under the die cut I created using the new Maggie Holmes Shine flower die.

Layers, layers, and more layers, another opportunity to use 3D adhesives.  This photo my daughter snapped of her friends at the lake is stunning, perfectly timed with the gorgeous sunset.

If you're looking for some serious inspiration to get your mojo going, you should hop over to the Paper Issues Friends & Fans Facebook page and join the party.  You have until November 14 to link up your projects to the crop album.  Winners will be announced on the blog on November 16.

Thanks for stopping by today, and happy scrapping friends! Pin It

A Splendid Moment

There is this old abandoned barn just off the highway on the way to my in-laws that I have wanted to stop and take photos at for the longest time, like for the past 3 or 4 years now. This past Thanksgiving weekend we finally did it.  We dressed for the occasion, brought along the tripod and finally did it.  I am so glad we did too, we got a couple of real gems to scrap and hang on our wall.

Since neither of us really enjoys being in front of the camera, there aren't many photos in my scrapbooks of just us sans kids, but I think it's so important to our family albums.  I would hate for my kids to look back and wonder why their parents are missing from the pages.  I think it speaks of love when kids can see their parents together in photos.  The memories will fade, but the photos will live on, as a reminder that we genuinely loved one another, and cared for the eachother's company.

That great cork bow is from the latest Dear Lizzy Collection

The beautiful weather, the beautiful backdrop and our beautiful girls looking on as we posed for a couple of photos.  The moment truly was a splendid one.  I have no doubt more photos from that little shoot will soon appear here also.

These layers make so happy, the colours are just so fresh and new for Fall.  I even managed to use up those Maya Road star pins that I have been hoarding for years.

I used the gorgeous new Cedar Lane collection by Pink Paislee to document this moment. You can still get your hands on most of it in the Paper Issues store.  Be sure to use my code to save 20% off.

How have you been scrapping your Fall photos, and using the new Fall themed collections? There are plenty of opportunities to show us in several challenges in our Friends and Fans Facebook group, and right here on the blog in our latest Fan-atics issue.  We look forward to seeing your work.

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Fan-atics

For me, the only good thing about Summer coming to an end is the start up of hockey season.  Cheering on our Winnipeg Jets is a favourite pastime of mine and Darwin's. Whether it's here, on tv at home or downtown at the arena it's the highlight of our day.  I love that it's something we love doing together.

The latest issue at Paper Issues Fan-atics encouraged me to pull out one of our photos from the last Playoff game and get scrapping.

How awesome are those puffy letters?  They are from a Dear Lizzy collection, but they go so perfectly with this bright bold Amy Tangerine collection. 

I just had to pair that fun Jillibean Soup File card with the design, plus the colours matches so nicely. 

I used American Crafts This to That 3D adhesive pieces to pop my photo off the page.

My design is based off of the October Sketch.

You can link up your take on the sketch here, and you link up to the current issue right here on the Paper Issues Blog.

Life has really changed a lot for me around here, as is evident by my blog.  It's not that I've had less to share, it's that there's been less time and energy to get it onto paper.  My days are full, and usually stressful, and leave me feeling pretty exhausted by the time I finally have some me time in the evening.  I have much to be thankful for, don't get me wrong, it's just a different season for me, and one that I am still trying to find my way in.
It's been so long since I've scrapped, that this felt really good to get on paper.  I have a couple more layouts that I managed to put together this past week.  I will share those soon, I promise.

There is always a lot going on over at the Paper Issues Friends and Fans Facebook page. Multiple challenges a month, pre-sale codes to shop at a discounted rate, and prizes up for grabs throughout the month.  If you haven't done so yet, I encourage you to hop over and become a member today.

As always if you're more in the mood for shopping than scrapping then don't forget to use code: SHERRI at the Paper Issues store checkout to save yourself 20% off everything in your cart.

I sure appreciate you popping in, and thank you for sticking with me through this new chapter. Pin It

Feeling Like Fall

We are beginning to really feel the crisp Fall air here on the prairies.  Sweaters and boots have started to make their way into my work wardrobe, and the air is cooler and cooler in the evenings around the pool/hot tub.

I know Fall is the most popular season, and the favourite of many.  For me, however, as much as I enjoy watching the canvas of the Heavens as the leaves, and landscape around me begin to change.  I have a hard time accepting the fact Winter is just around the corner.  Nine long months of sub zero temperatures, grey, wind, and snow.  Yuck!

But...before that comes, we get crunchy leaves.  Those make me happy, and provide fun photos to document the season.  I used the Pink Paislee Atlas Collection to create a layout documenting this little photo session we had with the girls a couple of years ago.  We would love to go back to this spot again next month and capture a whole new set of photos.

This month at Paper Issues is the first of our new month long format.  This month it's "How 'Bout them Apples".  With a focus on Fall, Fall colours, red and green, apples, pretty much anything Fall themed goes.  We even have a FREE printable for you to use in the Paper Issues store.

The flair button can be found in the {a flair for buttons} Etsy shop here.

I just love the cork words from the Atlas Collection, they even have tiny flecks of gold in them.

Hop over to the Paper Issues blog to see more inspirational takes on the Issue and link up your own take.  Remember you can always link up via Instagram and even Flickr or Pinterest.  And there is even more fun to be had over on the Facebook Friends & Fans page, where there are always additional challenges and prizes to be had.

Of course if you'd rather just shop for Fall themed supplies you're more than welcome to do that.  You can find the gorgeous new Pink Paislee Cedar Lane collection right here. Use code: SHERRI and save 20% off everything in your cart at checkout.

Thank you for stopping by, and happy scrapping friends!

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