Let's Capture These Sketches Reveal

Sketch #149 in now live on Let's Capture These Sketches. 

Here is Natalie's sketch

Check out all the white space and the cluster.  So up my ally.  The flowers kind of threw me for a loop at first because I don't actually own many flowers anymore, and definitely none that large.  I decided to just look at it as a cluster rather than 3 flowers.  Then things came together very quickly.

I realize it's hard to see the outline.  Consider this  caption centered on the bottom, and that should make things a little easier to see.

Once again I combined a mix of manufactures on this page including: Jillibean Soup, My Mind's Eye, Prima, Evalicious, October Afternoon, Jenni Bowlin, and Studio Calico.

These photos are of Théa, and Eden are from the day my girlfriend gave us a mini tour of the local radio station she works at.  The girls met their favorite DJ, and were introduced to a bunch of the staff.  Two sweet guys in particular totally made their day by suiting them up in a cowbow hat, and lanyard.  Such a small gesture of kindness totally made their day.

A simple, yet eye catching design.  Works for me.  You should see what the rest of the design team created. Curious?  Click  here.

Have a wonderful weekend friends!

♥ S. Pin It

Beautiful Moments

I received the August Scrapbook Nook kit ages ago, and finally had a chance to play with it.  I wanted to make something that I could start and finish quickly, as I only had a couple of hours.  Needless to say I resorted to the style I began scrapping with.  The basic straight lines, with layers and a few stickers.  Simple, but worked great for me with this photo of Théa, and her two little Dance buddies.

Using Carta Bella Beautiful Moments collection

This was taken shortly before they performed at the Canadian National Dance Competition this past May.  Those little outfits were so stinkin' cute, and the three of them looked just gorgeous up there on the stage.  It's amazing to see how far they've come in the mere 5 years they've been dancing.  They're only 10, I can't even begin to imagine what they'll be doing when they're 13 and 15 years old.  KickIt Dance Studio has been such a huge, huge blessing in our lives, I can barely put it into words.  The directors are two of the kindest, most encouraging, dedicated people I know.  Not to mention the high level of talent they share with their students.  They run a fabulous Dance Camp every year, and bring in the strongest and best teachers in each field to teach classes during the Intensive week.  They treat the kids with respect, and challenge them to bring their best all the time.  In turn the kids treat each other in the same regard.  It is especially noticeable as you observe the older dancers (13-17), interact with the younger ones.  We are so happy we've found a home here.

There is a hidden journal tag on this layout.  The half scalloped journal spot pulls out to reveal the following journaling: "These 3 are so fortunate to have found each other as dance mates at KickIt. They push each other, and genuinely love each other.  Competition is even more fun as they dance as friends.  May 2012"

I'm up over at Let's Capture Our Memories today with a little tutorial on how I created the hidden pocket if you'd like to have a peek.  The LCOM store also has the Carta Bella paper line in stock and ready to ship.  You can check it out here.

Thanks for stopping by today friends.  Hope you're in the middle of a great weekend.

♥ S. Pin It

I'm Julie's Guest

Welcome to something NEW today.

A few weeks ago my bloggy friend, Julie asked me if I would consider guesting on her blog for a series she's doing this month called I Spy Jesus. The series will run every Wednesday for the duration of September, and by the sounds of it there are some great women contributing, I am honoured to have been asked to join them.

Julie is a woman who is full of faith, and hope, and writes with such humility.  Her love for Jesus permeates almost every post, weather she's talking about the dress she wore for her wedding, her children, and the challenges of homeschooling, or her scrapping passion.  You can read her first post in the series here, it will help you get to know her a little better.  I have no doubt you'll be touched by how she shares her heart, just as I have been.

This post was not an easy one to write as you'll discover if you pop over to Julie's blog to read it in it's entirety.  To give you a bit of a clue, however, let me just say that as much as I know there are seasons in our lives where we feel God presence more than others, it always leaves me feeling like a failure whenever I find myself in a dry season.  So being asked to share where I see Jesus working in my life, when I feel like I'm simply on the hamster wheel of life, not really making a whole lot of difference in the world around me is extremely humbling.  But God is always pursuing us, illuminating the path in which we should travel, calling us to something new, and that's what I want to share with you over at Julie's.  I hope you'll pop by and have a peek.  For further enticement here is a sneak of the layout I created for this post. 

You can see the rest of the post, including the layout on Julie's blog.

I hope you'll pop over and say hello.

Happy Tuesday friends,

♥ S.

Pin It

Let's Get Sketchy Reveal

Loved this sketch by Janessa Franco over at Let's Get Sketchy. 

It's the Challenge #28, and my first reveal as part of the DT, very exciting.

Here is my take on it.

As soon as I saw the circles, I knew I wanted to  switch them up to hexagons, just so I had a great excuse to use my 'new to me' hexagon punch.

I also wanted to add journaling, and the photos alone didn't really tell the story.  The sketch, in my eyes, however didn't really accommodate exposed journaling. To remedy the problem, I created a hidden pocket to slide the Chic Tags journal card into.  Smart right?!  I'll be showing you how to make your own pockets, easy, peasy next week.

This page is the result of a lot of mixing and matching different product/manufacturers (one of my fave things about working with sketches) from Echo Park, and Studio Calico, to Chic tags, Prima, and October Afternoon.

The rest of the DT had some really great takes on this sketch also.  Please pop over here to check them out, get more info on this month's gracious sponsor Scraptastic Kit Club (Jessica is graciously offering up a $20 gift certificate to her store), and link up your own creations.

Thanks for stopping in today friends, and a Happy Monday to each of you!

♥ S.

Don't forget you still have time to get in on the Lily Bee Design giveaway here.  Good luck! Pin It

Sunday Fun

Feels like I blinked and the weekend was half over.  There has been a whirlwind of activity at our place since Friday afternoon.  Fun stuff.

Before I get into all that though I want to share with you TWO fabulous opportunities that Lily Bee Design is hosting.  First is this.  That's right they are having a DT call.  I don't know the last time they did that, they have been known to simply invite designers on.  Can you imagine getting that email?  I am crossing my fingers that I do get a similar email as I am going to submit an appy to them.  You've heard it from me before...they are one of my favorite manufacturers to work with, and I only say that about two, out of the bunch.  I love how they stay current in the market, and continually offer quality product for us to work with.  The journal cards, stickers, those fabulous tiny alphas, and the eye catching designs of their papers are always a must on my list of scrappy purchases.  I would be thrilled to have the opportunity to work with their current team, (some of them my scrappy friends on the web).  I just know I could rock their scrappy goodness. 

Second is this.  A chance to win an entire new release collection.  Check out these fabulous new lines.

Love these luxurious earthy tones

This one is my fave, check out that hexi paper

Planning to create a layout class with this one for my LSS

Now believe you me, as much as I want to share all this exciting news, part of me is wishing I'd just keep it to myself, so I wouldn't be diminishing my own chances of winning, or being selected for their team.  I however, can not keep great news like this to myself, so go on and share/like/tweet, and apply as your little heart desires.  I can live with that.

As for the rest of this weekend...

Théa and her good dance partner in crime, spent several hours at their first rehearsal for the upcoming American Girl movie, that is being filmed her in Winnipeg.  It's all been a serious roller coaster ride, as we were called Friday at 4pm, asking to bring her in for an audition, told at 5:20 that she was perfect for the part.  Back there on Saturday evening for this dance workshop/rehearsal.  Then told at 8pm, that there may be cuts on Sunday (today).  See what I mean?  Rollercoaster.  She's a little nervous.  This mamma, is a little more.  But most of all, I'm just so proud of her for going for it.  I have a lot to learn from this wonderful 10 year old of mine.

While she was there with Daddy.  The rest of us girls celebrated this guy's belated 4th birthday, with bowling, followed by ice cream at Dairy Queen.

Recognize him?  He's the little man I scrapped about here.

He is such a character.  We had a blast bowling (I think the rest of the bowling ally could tell too, hee hee).  In between every ball thrown he'd break out into a freestyle Hip Hop routine.  Needless to say we needed more than the 60 minutes we paid for to finish 10 frames.  My heart aches with love, and pride overflowing for this little guy.

Today at noon I will be planted in front of my tv.  Wearing this.

Cheering for these guys, and the rest of the team.

It's part II of the Labour Day Classic, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are hungry for revenge.  It's gonna be pretty loud in here, feel free to come and cheer with me.

Whatever your plans are today, I hope you are happy, healthy, and spending it with the people you love most.

Thanks for popping by today!

♥ S.
Pin It

Welcome Back

Welcome to the weekend!

If you're anything like me you are feeling just a little more tired than you have been for the past two months.  The start of the new school year always seems to arrive too quickly, and feels like a whirlwind of activity, with countless forms to be filled out and returned, and a the usual school newsletters, and other pertinent information to be reviewed.

For the past few years I have been making cards to send along with the girls on the first day of school.  My hope is that a simple card will help their new teacher to feel valued and appreciated as he/she takes on a new set of students for the next 10 months of the year.

This year I created super simple "Welcome Back" cards using Lily Bee Design Double Dutch collection, and my hexagon punches. 

Rather than my usual habit of creating one-of-a-kind cards, this year, I decided to stick to the same design on all 4 cards changing it up just a bit between the two colours.  
Simple, yet cheerful.

Some of the items are from my stash, like the white trim, and office supply tags, but the rest can be found in the Let's Capture Our Memories store.  

Speaking of the store.  You may want to pop over and check out all the new Echo Park collections in there.

So Happy Together, 

Chillingsworth,  

For The Record 2 - Documented & Tailored, as well as 

Very Merry Christmas 

have all been added and are ready for purchase. 

Enjoy your Saturday friends, and happy creating!

♥ S.

Pin It

Let's Hear It For The Boy

For Challenge #20, Einat has brought us a new kind of challenge this month at Scrapping Everyday Miracles.  The challenge is to focus on a special male in our life.  She reminds us about the covenant that God made with Abraham the day a lamb was sent to be sacrificed in place of Abraham's son Issac.

When I read her challenge I immediately thought of my nephew Jayden.  My brother and his wife have the cutest brown boy I've ever seen.  The kid is such a character.  He loves to tease, and play around, and climb all over my hubby.  He's quite the dancer, loves anything Spiderman, and is a little jokester to boot.  He's one of the most loving little boys I know.  When he leaves his day care, he cannot walk out the door without personally saying goodbye and delivering a hug to each child there.

Then men in my family have not done much to leave a stellar legacy for future generations.  Ephesians 6:4 reads "Fathers, don't exasperate your children by coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master."  Whether it was because they, themselves have always had poor role models, or because they just had no idea how and where to start, or simply because they just didn't care, I do not know.  All I know is that Ephesians 6:4 did not ring true within the walls of my home.  My brother and I were subjected to awful rants by my father, often accompanied by a swift and rough hand to the behind.

It is only by the grace of God, and the leading of the Holy Spirit, that my brother and I are the people we are today.  My brother especially.  He grew into a kind, loving, gentle man, who leads his son with a kind, loving, and gentle hand.  He is raising Jayden in a way that affirms this little boy's value in Christ.  Jayden will have a hard time questioning his worth as a person, a chosen, and wonderfully created child of God, gifted to his parents.  With that kind of knowledge this young man will have the power to break this generational curse of ours.  He will have the strength and the wisdom, and the humility to rise up and re-write the pages of the Wesley book for future generations.  

Written on this hidden journaling card is Malachi 4:6 "He (Elijah) will convince parents to look after their children and children to look up to their parents."

I am honoured to be his Aunt.  I cherish the gift that I have, to come alongside him, and his parents as a reminder of what a gift he is to all of us, and of God's great and amazing, all encompassing, never failing love for all mankind.  A love that He demonstrated so boldly in giving up His son Jesus to die for each one of us.  Rather than a life doomed to eternal loss, we have been giving the opportunity to live in eternity with our Heavenly Father.  There is no denying the presence of God for me.  No denying the power of the Holy Spirit when I look at myself in the mirror, or when I look at my brother, and especially when I consider the possibility of restoration that Jayden could bring to the Wesley name for future generations.

To see what men the rest of the DT chose to lift up please pop over to Scrapping Everyday Miracles.  There, you will also see the scrap twist for the month, as well as get the details on our gracious sponsor and the prize up for grabs.

Have a wonderful Monday friends,

♥ S.

Pin It