Kerry'd Away Designs

New Kit this week @ 2peasinabucket

2010-09-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

Take a look at my latest kit released at 2peas.

Messy Stitches V.1

This kit includes

6 Messy Stitched Words in Charcoal Black
6 Messy Stitched Words in Off White
4 Messy Stitched Leaf Shapes in Charcoal Black
4 Messy Stitched Leaf Shapes in Off White
4 Stitch Hole Leaf Shapes
1 Stitched Leaf 12 x 2 Border in Charcoal Black
1 Stitched Leaf 12 x 2 Border in Off White
1 Sitch Hole 12x 2 Border in the shape of falling leaves
27 files in all

Available at 2peas for $4.00

New Layout- Simplicity

2010-09-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

Well Summer vacation is coming to an end and the kids go back to school tomorrow. I'm trying not to cheer too loudly! I am looking forward to getting back to more designing and more scrapping and just generally being more creative and more productive!

I recently had a new opportunitty arise in the CT department. I have joined Karen Funk Designs new Creative Team. I am really excited because her design style is quite different from mine and I will enjoy cerating Lo's with her nice designs as well as my own.

For this page I used her new Simplicity Kit. It's a huge kit but you can also purchase it as seperates if you only want the paper or the embellies. You can pick up Karen's designs from Design House Digital.

I should also mention that I am so stoked that my daughter is finally allowing me to take photos of her again. Apparently now that she posts photos on facebook it is a huge advantage having a Mom that not only can take great photos but can edit them so that it looks like a professional photos shoot. (Those are her words not mine!LOL) I have already taken her out for two seperate photo shoots and I know that she has plans for several more.

Wow has it been that long

2010-08-29T07:58:00.000-07:00

Talk about a defunct blog. It has been one crazy wild summer. I don't even know where the time has gone. Seriously! Part of the reason for being so MIA. Is that I have been very committed to a different kind of journey this summer.

In June I joined a challenge on the Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle website. It is called the Summer Burn Transformation Contest. I started the contest at 144lbs and 26% bodyfat. We had to take pictures (which I will post here in a few days) both at the beg and the end. I have worked very very hard. I have been getting in 6 days a week of cardio and 4 days a week of strength training. I cleaned up my diet with the help of the Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle ebook. In the last month I even did double cardio. I know crazy right. But I have a rockin new body to show for it.

In a few days the contest ends. This morning I weighed in at 127lbs and 12.5% bodyfat. The bodyfat number I believe is a bit inaccurate. I think I am probably closer to 15 or 16% It's still pretty darn good. I haven't been this small since my 20's, before I had kids. I will probably post more details in the days to come but if you are interested in knowing more of my personal experience do not hesitate to comment or email me. I will gladly give you particulars on how I did it. Yes it was hard work, no there was no magic pill. But as I've learned extraordinary results require extraordinary effort!

So the contest closes in a couple of days. I am ready to get more focused on my scrapping and my designing. I am hoping in addition to my designing to find a CT team also. I miss my scrapping. Of course I also plan to keep up my exercise but I can keep it more at a mait level now. Plus this year all 3 kids are in school for a FULL day. I am so excited about that I am definitely the parent from the staples commercial. (Gleefully dancing to "It's the most wonderful time of the year.") Is that bad to be looking forward to the children being back to a routine? To having a few quiet hours where there is not a single child asking me to drive them somewhere, or to make them something or to help them find something to do. Aaaaaaah I can just imagine it now.

Look for more from me soon!

Kerry'd Away Designs CT Call

2010-05-14T09:24:00.001-07:00

I am expanding my Creative Team and I am looking for unique and talented digi and hybrid scrappers like you!

Requirements:
Min 2-3 Layouts per month
Post your Layouts to 2peas in a bucket and 2 other open galleries
Particpate in the 2peas Message Board and challenges whenever possible
Enable wherever possible
Support your fellow Team mates

If you are interested and wish to apply please send your email to Kerry Stewart at kerrys6(at)telus(dot)net.

In your email include:
Your Name
A Short Bio
A link to your most current gallery
Links to One to Two Layouts that you feel represent your style.
Info about any other CT teams that you are currently on.

The call will end next Friday May 21 2010 at 11:59 PST. I hope to announce the Team Members by Monday or Tuesday May 24th or 25th.

Thanks and I look forward to reviewing your applications.

Meatless Monday: Welcome to the first Edition

2010-05-09T23:49:00.000-07:00

Would you be surprised if I told you that I have been a vegetarian for over 11 years. I'll save that story for another day. Today I want to share a really yummy recipe. It is a recipe I created myself for a vegetable soup. It's thick and hearty and could almost be a vegetable stew. The tomato paste and the beets give this soup a beautiful rich reddish color which contrasts nicely with the orange carrots and the yellow sweet potato. It's a perfect soup for a chilly day. Just add a salad and possibly a slice of whole wheat bread and you have a great healthy vegetarian meal. It's also so quick and easy to prepare.

Chef Busy Butterfly's Vegetarian Vegetable Soup
Servings: Approx 10 1 cup Servings

Ingredients

1 Large Chopped Onion

4 Cloves of Fresh Garlic

2 Medium Sweet Potatoes diced to 1-2" cubes

3 Carrots Coarsely Chopped

1-2 Beets Diced

4 Cups Water

7 oz can of Tomato Paste

1 596 Fl Oz can of Chick Peas

2 TBS of Olive Oil

1/4 Cup Fresh Basil

3 Bay Leaves

1 tsp Thyme

In a large soup pot heat olive oil over medium to high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until onions and garlic are tender and slightly browned on the edges.

Add 4 cups of water and stir in tomato paste.

As the water comes to a boil add carrots, sweet potato, Beet, Basil, Thyme and Bay Leaves. Simmer on low for about 40 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Add Chick Peas and cook for another 10 minutes until chick peas are heated through.

Nutrition Information

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 133

Total Fat: 3.7

Cholesterol: 0

Sodium: 152.0 mg

Total Carbs: 21.7

Dietary Fiber: 4.6

Protein: 4.4

Digital Scrapbooking Challenges- Open Book Challenge

2010-05-09T13:44:00.000-07:00

Doesn't everyone love a good challenge. I think challenges are one of the things that have helped me grow creatively and push my skill levels the most. If I loose my mojo or am stuck in a rut I can always count on a challenge to help me overcome that.

Recently Audrey Neal of Be Audacious designs put out a message looking for some ladies to get involved with a new challenge that she was putting together. I admit that I was more than a little excited. I first worked with Audrey on the 2peas digital creative team and I love her work. She creates interesting and meaningful pages and she had some very cool digital products that she now sells at her shop at design house digital. These challenges are called the Open Book Challenges.

The Open Book Challenges are a series of bi-monthly scrapbooking challenges based on the books we've read and loved. Each challenge will have multiple prompts, both design- and content-based. The great thing is that you can use just one prompt, several prompts or all of them together!

I created a Layout for the first challenge based on the book The Help. The prompts I used were, the color scheme, using birds on my scrapbook page and using a scallop edge to hold my title. The prompts for journaling were also really cool and introspective but instead I felt that I wanted to journal about the role that reading has taken in my life.

I also thought that since I haven't put out a freebie in a long time that I would include a layered PSD template from the above Layout. Feel free to use it for the challenge or for any Layout you feel like creating. Just click on the preview to download.

Credits: Track Team Kit by Kerry'd Away Designs at 2peas in a bucket, Cherry Blossom Kit by Kerry'd Away designs at 2peas in a bucket and Cherry Blossom Frames at 2peas in a bucket.

Projects using my new kit All in the Family Word Art Blocks

2010-05-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Aren't these projects great. The first Layout is by Lorell, the second is by Debi and the last one is by Mary who is part of the 2peas Digital Creative Team

From the Kitchen of Chef Busy.Butterfly-Granola Bars

2010-05-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned a few days ago I wanted to start doing some other types of posts. I love food, well who doesn't love food, but I love everything about it. Right from picking the recipe to, going out to purchase the ingredients, to the chopping, and stirring to the baking or cooking and of course the eating. On Mondays I will share all sorts of things about being a vegetarian and on Wednesdays I will share other recipes and tidbits about all things other than vegetarian meals. Some days it may be a meal that my kids love and other times it might be a baked good that I love.

Today as my first entry from the kitchen of Chef Busy.Butterfly I wanted to share a very easy but very yummy recipe that I use to make homemade granola bars. My kids love it. You can make it with just the oats and butter or you could add other little tidbits to it. Nuts, raisins, and craisins are a healthy addition. I have also thought for a little treat some chocolate chips would taste pretty good too. I know I can buy granola bars at the store but I have been striving to eliminate many of the preservatives and additives that are in packaged foods. My kids don't really understand why and actually they don't care one way or another as long as they get to have a little something to satisfy that sweet tooth. This seems to fit both my desires of less packaged food and the kids desire for some yummy.

Chef Busy.Butterfly's Granola Bars

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup of slivered almonds

1. Melt Butter/Margarine and combine with brown sugar, vanilla and 1 slightly beaten egg.

2. Stir rolled oats and almonds into the brown sugar mixture. Mix well.

3. Press into a square pan and bake in a 350 F / 180 C oven for 15 min or until golden brown.

4. Let the bars cool before cutting into squares.

My Favourites from my CT Team

2010-05-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

I haven't ever posted any of the projects by my small but talented CT Team. Currently I only have 3 members on my CT Team: (but will be looking for some more members in the very near future.) Amy, Debi,and Lorell. They have created many MANY beautiful projects using my designs. I thought today I would post just a few of my favourites. I hope you enjoy them. Originally I was only going to pick my top 2 favs from each member but it was so hard to narrow it down I picked the top three from each. If you want to see more of there fabulous work click on their names above and it will link you to their galleries.
Amy's Projects

Debi's Projects

Lorell's Projects

Enjoy!

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz- Wh-what oh am I supposed to be blogging!

2010-05-04T08:51:00.000-07:00

I will admit that even I am getting bored with my blogging posts. I have been thinking alot this blog recently. I have thought about what makes me want to read other blogs and what do I want to be able to come back and read myself. I still want to post my new releases and pages (I haven't even been doing many pages lately either.)

While I do know I want to make some changes, I'm not exactly sure what kind of changes I want to make. I want to have some regular kinds of weekly posts and some wiggle room to just fly by the seat of my pants when I want to. Here are some of my ideas, Meatless Monday, Digital Scrapbooking tutorials, New Releases, My CT team projects, Challenges I am involved in, Family Happenings, Book Reviews. I will elaborate on the Meatless Monday. You see I am a vegetarian (not hard core by any means.) and I have been for 11 years. I also love to bake and cook. When I first thought about being vegetarian I thought it would be really hard to cook healthy and tasty meals but I have learned that it's not that hard at all. That is why I thought it would be cool to blog about. I may also do additional posts about other things I cook and bake because I love doing both and I still cook non vegetarian meals because my kids aren't vegetarian. (I know weird, but it's just the way it has worked out.)

I have also doing a regular post about Canada or Vancouver or something like that. I'm not sure totally about that one though because I'm trying to think about how to keep doing a post each week that would be different and of interest to people. I do know that I love Vancouver and I love being Canadian so I could probably come up with some interesting stuff.

If you have any ideas, suggestions,or thoughts, please leave me a comment.

Before I end for the day, I will leave you with my new release for this week. All in the Family Word Art Blocks

A Cool Challenge and Inspiration Blog: The Inspired Scrapper

2010-04-16T08:55:00.000-07:00

I decided today to tell you about something a bit different than my usual businessy type posts. Today I want to wrote about a cool blog The Inspired Scrapper. Truth be told I may not have known about it except an old scrapper friend of mine took it over and she mentioned it to me. Some of the things that I personally really like about it is that it has some really fun challenge once a month, you have a WHOLE month to get your project done, every Friday there are new inspiring projects posted to get your creative juices going, and here's a cool one to me; it's Canadian run blog. (Go Canada!)

It's definitely worth the check out. I created a page for April's Challenge. The challenge this month was to scraplift someone whose work you admire. I choose digi scrapper Sokee.

Credits: Everything except the word borders were created by me under Kerry'd Away Designs Available for sale at 2peas. Bunny Tales, Track Team, Cherry Blossom Frames, and the word borders are by MaryAnn Wise.

New Release Day at 2peas - Track Team

2010-04-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

My newest release at 2peas this morning is Track Team. I think it's pretty cool and since my son will be in a Track Meet next week I hope I too get a chance to scrap with the cool kit.

New Release Tomorrow

2010-04-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow at 2peas I have a new kit coming out. I am super excited about it and I thought I'd post a little sneak peak.

It's called Track Team and it's filled with 12 slick papers and 16 different embellishments for scrapping all those awesome track and field pictures you have been taking. It will be available as a full kit as well as seperates. (Paper pack and Extras Pack)

I hope you like it as much as I do.

New Release: Everywhere a Sign

2010-03-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

Yeah it's Tuesday and now that I design at 2peas that means New Release day! I have a brush and stamp kit for you today. I guess it's a bit different but I know that I have often wanted some directional signs or street signs for so many different projects. The possiblilites are endless, maybe a camping trip or a day trip to the nearby fair or even a school field trip. I hope you enjoy them. The set comes with 6 Black PNG files, 6 colored rub ons and a brush set.

Sneak Peek- Take Me Out To The Ball Game

2010-03-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

On March 16th my first 2peas Kit will come out. I'm really excited about it! Here's a little Sneak Peek. Be sure to stop by the 2peas shop on March 16th to see my first kit.

Tying Up Loose Ends and an Announcement

2010-03-07T22:41:00.001-08:00

It seems that every time I turn around I have a new announcement. Today I sent in a really cool kit that will be released on March 16th at 2peasinabucket. Say What, Yep you heard that right. I will be selling my designs at 2peas. I am super stoked and I can hardly wait until my first kit hits the store.

But in order to take up the new position I had to step down from my 2peas CT position. Sniff. I was a little bit sad about that. I will really miss the ladies from the team. Not only are they super talented but they are just all around great ladies. On Tuesdays we always had a little chat while we were waiting to sign up for our week of assignments. It was so much fun and I will really miss chatting and hearing what everyone was up to.

And so the last 4 LO's I post here will be the last assignments that I created as part of the 2peas creative team.

Stay Tuned for a Sneak Peek of my first 2peas release!

Feeling a Little Blue? Creating Lo's with the Colour Blue.

2010-02-18T00:30:00.000-08:00

Recently I took a little peek at my Lo's in my gallery at 2peas and realized that the last 4 LO's I created are all blue. I didn't realize I had become so partial to the color. Blue does seem to be cropping up in lots of digital kits right now.

Here are two of my favourite blue LO's right now. The first is called Love Being with you. My CT assignment was to use Erica Hernandez's Funny Valentine Brush Set. I only used 2 out many many different brushes you could use. I think they would also be a great way to create your own custom papers. I'd also like to point out that some of the pp in the squares are from my blog freebie LoveBug Kit. The Lo itself is very near and dear to my heart. The photo is my dd with my 90 year old Grannie. She is an amazing lady, even now at 90 she is an upbeat and positive person. She still lives and maintains her own little house even though we lost my Grandfather a few years ago. I am so very happy that my own kids have had the opportunity to get to know her. She is the only surviving grandparent that I have left now.

This second one is also one of my Ct assignments. I totally fell in love with Holly Brooke Jones new Mod Moth Mini Kit. I loved the soft and whimsical design of her papers and those moths were so pretty. As Barb Hogan wrote earlier who knew that Moths could be so pretty?

Catching up on posting my 2peas CT Assignments

2010-02-17T08:28:00.000-08:00

My blog entries really are rather willy nilly, aren't they. I think that has been my whole life lately. I do whatever is most pressing and hopefully complete it before something else crops up.

I can't really complain too much though. I am CTing with a site that I LOVE and designing digital products. I'm trying to get into a rhythm between the two but I admit that it is a tough balancing act at times.

Monday I spent most of the day running around trying to get my car situation sorted out. My Dad just recently bought a new car and they decided to help my brother and I out by giving their car to my brother Craig and my brother then in turn gave me his car. I've been driving my big ol' Mom Van since Autumn was born. It has been a good vehicle but it is starting to have trouble and it's cost me quite alot in repairs lately. My Brothers car is newer than mine and it has very low mileage. It's a white Honda civic sedan and best of all it's a standard. I love driving a stick shift! I will have to do a LO of it soon. Okay now back to why I had to run around. Well when I went in to get it insured it turned out that it needed to be Air Cared. I am really beginning to resent Air Care. I wasn't really worried about it passing the air care inspection but the real trouble was that my brother dropped the car off and took the plates. I ended up having to get a permit for the car, then drive it to be air cared then back to the insurance place to get it insured. Yikes. Now it's all done and I LOVE driving my new car. Hopefully I'll have completed the sale of my mini van in the next week. Of course I've spent the last day or so getting the said Van ready for sale. At least I have a buyer lined up.

So that is my sad (or is it happy?) tale and my excuse for not having posted any LO's lately. This first LO features Chelsea's Beautifully Grungy Label. I wanted to try something different rather than the standard label for journaling or a title. I decided that I could use it like a stamp on several squares. I thought it created some continuity in my LO and it's such a beautiful frame it was great to show it off in more than one way. I also was quite pleased with my play on words with the title. By the way my Dad is a really amazing gourmet pizza maker. They are so tasty and I think I gain pounds just looking at all the yummy cheese! My fav is the smoked salmon and brie cheese. My mouth is watering!

The second Lo I chose Michelle Underwood's kit Beautiful Endings. Michelle is such a talented designer. Everything is so real. Her embellishments have texture and dimension and her papers are unique in pattern and color. If you ever get a chance to pick up one of her kits I have no doubt that you will enjoy creating with it as much as I have. I also just love these pictures. My dd didn't even know that I was paying any attention to her but it was just one of those quiet typical mornings. I like that you can see the relationship between Autumn and Casey.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

2010-02-14T14:47:00.000-08:00

Hello happy Bloggers. I hope you are all having a fabulous Valentine's Day. It's sunny and warm here today and it feels almost like Spring. Weird that it is so beautiful and the city is now full on Winter Olympics (Winter are you kidding me Winter Schminter!) I am enjoying the Olympic coverage so far. I wish I could go to an event but sadly I have no funds to spend on any of the events. It is neat to watch and know that it is MY city! Vancouver is a spectacular place to live and I love it here.

It has now been almost a month since I started designing for Scrapinsider.com. I love designing. I have been overwhelmed with the support and words of encouragement from so many friends and fellow scrappers that I wanted to share the love! I created a mini kit called Love Bug that you can download for FREE! here on my blog just click on the preview below. I hope you enjoy it. It was super fun to create.

I am really loving Adobe illustrator. I am so glad that Jen Alysson of Design House Digitals encouraged me to buy it and take Carina Gardner's illustrator class at Jessica Sprague.com

Have fun. What did you do for Valentine's Day? Did you go out with your sweetie? Did you do something with your family? Maybe you did some cool scrappy projects. Tell me, link me up. Enquiring minds want to know.

New Release Cherry Blossom

2010-02-10T16:52:00.000-08:00

My newest kit to be released at Scrapinsider.com. Thanks for taking a peek.

It's February Already

2010-02-01T10:22:00.000-08:00

Now how did that happen. It feels like we were just ringing in the New Year and now we will be celebrating Valentine's Day, Cheering for the 2010 Olympics here in Vancouver, and wishing my youngest dd Happy Birthday. Yikes. Why does time speed up so much as you get older?

I have three more Layouts that I created for the 2peas CT.

I love this Lo. I created it for my brother and his lovely finance Beth. The papers I used are from Sugar Pops new kit called Lovebirds. The color combo is totally up my alley and the patterns are really unique too. Another things that I really liked is they had just the perfect amount of distressing and texture for me.

Any modern day Mom could relate with this LO. Just recently my ds gave his sister his nintendo ds. Of course she was ecstatic. When she plays she totally tunes right out and I happily took a whole series of photos and my dd didn't even notice what I was doing. For this page I used Brandy Buffingtons kit Cabanarama. It was so full of papers and elements. There are endless possibilities for this kit.

This last Layout is near and dear to my heart. The photo is of my dad when he was a little boy. What I love about these old photos is that not only am I getting a chance to peek into my dad's childhood but I have memories of my own associated with this photo. When I was in my teens I was staying overnight with my Grannie. Her and I began to go through her stacks and stacks of old photos and she let me pick some to bring home. As we sorted through them she would tell me little things about the photo. In this one she ohhh and awwed about how cute my dad looked and this was one of two photos that she really adored of her son Robbie. Even the name Robbie holds special meaning. Only my grandparents are allowed to use it. And I can still remember the proud look in my Grandfathers eye when he would talk about his "Robbie". (My Grandfather passed away a couple of years ago. ) Funny how just one little photo can hold all that.

The frame is a debut release from Kenner Road. I am looking forward to seeing what else Kenner Road will be bringing us. I love vintage elements and papers just like this.

Well here's to a productive week for everyone. I hope to work on some more kits for my own shop and I also hope to create some more pages. Plus my youngest dd just switched from morning kindy to afternoon. I'm not sure how I feel about that quite yet. At least I didn't have to rush to get her out of the house and in fact I'm still sitting in my pj's and it's almost 11. (Really, I am going to get dressed as soon as I'm done here!Hehe!)

Our Little Secret

2010-01-28T16:28:00.001-08:00

As many of you know I have 3 kids. My oldest two are two years apart and then there's a big ol' gap between them and my youngest. She is my baby and I think because I have known even when I was pregnant that she would be my last, I have always hung onto each little stage. I don't want to miss a single thing.

Which brings me to the fact that I picked up this little girl long past the time that it was necessary. (Dare I admit that I still do from time to time.) About two years ago I ended up needing to go in for surgery to remove a sizable tumour from my abdomen. I was told in no uncertain terms that there was to be no bending, lifting or carrying heavy loads. It was tough because Autumn and I were just so used to the whole Mommy will pick you up thing. This is when we came up with the hand hug. It was a way to still feel close without her jostling or hurting my incision and it eliminated the picking up. Now even two years later and fully healed we still do this. It is very comforting for both of us and it has come in handy on many occasions. Really anytime is a great time for a hand hug but I will tell you that when you are in major pain and you haven't seen your children for several days there is nothing better than those kids running into your room and squeezing your hand.

When I'm old and gray I hope my kids won't even have to think twice about that little hand squeeze.

Credits: A Sunday Kind of Love by Michelle Underwood, Sparkle Brush Set by MaryAnn Wise and Deckle Frame also by MaryAnn Wist.

Wehooo! Now for the official announcement

2010-01-25T06:16:00.000-08:00

Well I guess I kind of spilled the beans the other day. But just so it's official...

I have now opened shop with my digital designs at Scrapinsider.com. Here's my first kit.

CANDY APPLE

This is a bright and cheerful kit to chase away those winter blahs! These happy and slightly worn papers along with some unique embellishments are sure to be fun addition to your digital goodies.

8 patterened and slightly distressed papers

6 slightly distressed coordinating solids

4 heart buttons in red, pink, light turqoise and dark turqoise

10 clear epoxy bits, 4 with graphics and 6 with words

6 4x6 photo overlays

4 stitched Tic Tac Toe Grids Red, Pink, Yellow, and Turquoise

3 Word Arts

I hope you will stop by and visit sometime.

Working on Creative Teams

2010-01-23T08:36:00.000-08:00

Over the course of the last year and a half I have been very fortunate to work with some very talented ladies and some amazing designers.

When I first decided I wanted to be a part of a CT, it didn't go as well as I had hoped. In fact I faced several rejection emails and of course several no responses. The first designer I ever worked with was a woman named Laura Lively. 6 months later I went on to CT for Sande Kreiger, Kate Teague, MaryAnn Wise, Jen Alysson, and Carina Gardner. Every team taught me a little bit more and I think I grew much faster because of my time not only with the designers but because of the ladies that I also CT'd with.

As you know I am now part of the CT digital design team for 2peas in a bucket. I am also CTing for MaryAnn Wise and more recently Jen Martakis. I love it. Somehow I have become incredibly busy. I don't mind though, it's a wonderful to feel excited and energized about all the possibilities ahead of you. I love spending my day being creative. Now if I really get it together I may try a few sewing projects.

My own designing is beginning to grow. Before Christmas I faced a similar process as I did for CTing. Lots of no responses, some rejection (all very nicely worded and polite but still rejection is tough to swallow sometimes) I did get some very practical advice and that in fact prompted me to take an illustrator class with Carina Gardner at Jessica Sprague's site as well as purchasing illustrator. (I love illustrator but I will leave that for another post!) Just after Christmas I was invited to design for a site called scrapinsiders.com. So a new journey begins. I will have a more official announcement in the next day or so when my very first kit will be released.

What would a post about CTing be without a few Layouts from said CT position. This first Layout is of my lovely dd pouting and it is a familiar scene around here. I used Chelsea Parsons Milly and Molly kit and it has the cutest little illustrations on it. I have also always loved the way her kraft paper really looks like kraft card stock with all those yummy flecks and bits. The other product I used on this Layout is the 99 cent labels by Shimelle Laine. The cool thing about this kit is that you can use it digitally or she also includes a pdf file so that a paper/hybrid scrapper can easily print it out and use them on a paper project. How cool is that.

On my second Layout I again used a kit by Shimelle Laine. It is called Can't buy me love. It has lovely rich colors and is filled with hearts perfect for any kind of Valentine Layout. As you can see I didn't use it for a Valentine Layout, I used it for this teen kind of Layout. The cool photo mask is from MaryAnn Wise's flakes of snow photo mask kit.

Have a great Weekend.

For a change...Some Hybrid Projects

2010-01-11T09:16:00.000-08:00

The kids are back to school and the house is quiet once again but I have been far from idle. I really wanted to get my house into order and work on my health (and lose a few pounds). The kickback benefit to both those resolutions is that I have way more energy and because my house is more organized I actually am on top of things. That is such a welcome change!

My Mother in Law is about to celebrate her first year anniversary. They are the happiest couple ever. Both have come down difficult paths with Brenda having been on her own for a long time and Dennis loosing his wife to illness a couple of years ago. They are incredibly busy, energetic and out finding lots of adventures together. I made them this card. It says Once in a Blue Moon...you find someone really special. Happy Anniversary. I'm so glad you've found your happily ever after. I formatted and decorated the inside of my card too. Tricky to get every thing lined up but I was happy with it. Although I had some paper trimmer issues and it tore away the corner of my card so I used a corner rounder punch to .round the corners. Doesn't the blue look lovely. The paper was from a kit called Winter Walk. The designer Shelly Castillo is making her debut this week at 2peasinabucket. I am looking so forward to seeing what designs she has up her sleeves!

My second project this m week was to make these cute little Valentine Pillow Boxes. I found some templates on line but they were all pdf documents so using my new found illustrator skills along with photoshop, I created a layer template. Then I clipped in papers and these digital stickers.

Normally I would print them at home but my printer was being all wonky so I ended up having them printed up at Staples on 100lb paper. They look so finished, or professional or something. Once they were printed I cut them out and used a scoring tool to score all the folding edges. That step was particularly important for the top flaps or they would not have folded down properly. After cutting and scoring all I had to do to finish up was to glue down the one edge. Now I could have typed in my dd's name and the other students names but I decided that it would be good printing practise for her to add the names in her self. Plus it's more personal right! We will fill them with some little Valentine goodies like a couple of Hershey's kisses or candy hearts or something. Of course Autumn adores them.

I hope you will keep your eyes on my blog. In the next few days I have an exciting announcement about another new opportunity for me.

Credits for the above hybrid projects:

Blue Moon Card: Winter Walk by Shelly Castillo, Sparkles by MaryAnn Wise

Valentine Pillow Boxes: Winter Lovenotes Digital Stickers by Holly Brooke Jones, Papers Basics Beige Bases by Kate Teague.

Happy New Year Everyone

2009-12-31T15:12:00.000-08:00

I've had quite a year! I was just taking stock of everything and so much has happened. Courntey started high school, and Autumn started kindergarten. Casey came into our life and stole our hearts, but we lost our both our dear Guinea Pigs in 2009. (Cocoa in Jan 2009 and Snowball almost a year later at the end of Dec.)

My digital scrapbooking has come a long way too. In Jan Sande Kreiger (then at 2peas now at Basic Gray) asked if I would like to be on her CT. (OH yeah!) and then later that spring I asked Kate Teague if she would be interested in having me on her CT. Then in August I applied for MaryAnn Wise's CT and ended up on her team as well as Jen Alysson and Carina Gardner. I left Carina and Jen's team to take up my position at two peas with their digital CT. I also had several layouts published. The first. One was even in Becky Higgens column which I had dreamed of for years. I created 130 new Layouts and even started this Blog! I also took some baby steps towards designing my own products.

Whohooo! I feel so happy today! It's the end of a year and everything has been tied up and neatened up. All loose strings are tied and I am ready for a productive and exciting 2010. There will certainly be some adventures ahead. I hope you will join me here from time to time to see what exciting things are in store.

Here are two Layouts I created for 2peas. The first uses the fabulous Erica Hernandez's So Happy Together Mini Kit.

The second features Jen Martakis' Simple Starts Template #10. Whohoo, gotta love a template that cuts your completion time down to half!

Well have a Happy New Year and here's to a fantabulous 2010!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-26T10:16:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas. I've spent the last few days visiting with family and enjoying my kids. Autumn was rather over excited on Christmas Eve and by the time we made it to bed she was sobbing inconsolably. She insisted that Santa wasn't going to come because she had just been too naughty this year. It was a tough moment but I gave her a big hug and told her that I didn't think Santa would think she was too naughty to stop at our home.

I have a few more Layouts to share that I created for my 2peas assignments. The first is called Have Santa Hat. I used Holly Brooke Jones Snowfall Mini Kit. I loved the Gray and White Pattens and the pops of red. She also includes these super cute stickers like the little bird and a snowman. It's a great kit.

Here is the second: Big Girl Earrings. I used Erica Hernandez's template #27. Templates are a great way to speed up your scrapping and they are very easy to customize. In this case the template was in an 81/2 by 11 format and I adapted it for a 8x8 format.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas.

Full Credit List:
Have Santa Hat: Snowfall Mini Kit by Holly Brooke Jones @2peasinabucket.com, Word Doublets by MaryAnn Wise @2peasinabucket.com, Grunge Neutral Papers by Mary Ann Wise @2peasinabucket.com, Twine from Punky Monkey by Brandy Buffington @2peasinabucket

Big Girl Earrings: Template 27 by Erica Hernandez @2peasinabucket.com, Background PP from Urban Chic Solids by Jen Alysson @2peasinabucket.com, Coloured PP Button Border Solid Paper by MaryAnn Wise @2peasinabucket.com, Button Border Embellishment Pack by MaryAnn Wise @2peasinabucket.com

Drive by Posting

2009-12-12T06:16:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post today. My 2peas CT assignment for this week I chose a super cute quickpage On TV by Chelsea Parson. Seriously I love anything that Chelsea does so I was so happy to work with her design this week.

The design itself is super easy to work with, you could easily just throw a photo underneath, add a title and some journaling and you would be good to go. I of course have to make things more complicated for myself and I add to the page a bit. I also converted my photo to black and white and added some grain to it so that it added to the retro feel. The other thing I love about this quick page is that it only cost 99 cents. How crazy is that!

Our Must See Holiday Movie List:

And then things got buuuuussssyyyy!

2009-12-10T14:53:00.000-08:00

So the Holiday Season began and things got crazy busy. This creating a magical Christmas can keep a girl busy. I'm having a great time though so I am not regretting this decision to focus on making this the best Christmas ever.

I haven't posted any of the LO's I created for the 2peas CT Team.

Last week I created 2LO's both from two of Betsy Tuma's new releases. The first is So Flakey and the second Charmed Christmas. Betsy's kits are always really cool and she is a genius at creating very life like metal embellishments.

Brrrr : Using Betsy Tuma's So Flakey Kit. I also just love these photos of my dd. They are from last winter when we got a whole ton of snow but she just looks so darned cute.

This second LO is for my JYC Album and it uses Betsy Tuma's super cool Charmed Christmas Digital Kit. It was a perfect way to spice up a page of journaling.

I promise to post more often. I hope to have some more freebies soon.

And the Holiday Season Begins!

2009-12-01T07:58:00.000-08:00

Yeah I'm so excited. The Holiday Season is here. I have so many ideas about how to make it a fun and happy season. I hope you will check in on me from time to time to see what I'm up to. I of course have my Holiday December Daily that I will be sharing and other tidbits. (like Holiday Freebies)

In Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas she suggested that your first page be like your Holiday Manifesto or some sort of declaration to explain what you are planning with your album. Here is the first page for Dec first.

December Goals

2009-11-30T04:00:00.000-08:00

With December fast approaching it's time to shift my goals from my previous blogging goals to scrapping goals. Don't worry though I still plan on blogging frequently and offering freebies like I have over the last month. As I mentioned before I have joined Shimelle's Journal your Christmas and I would like to do a digital scrapbook page for each day during this holiday season. The goals above are to accomplish this LARGE task. Plus I just want to be able to recapture some of the magic of the holidays. The last 4 years have been really tough for me so instead of just allowing the holidays to run me over, I want to slow down and take steps to celebrate me, my family and everything that Christmas means to us.

Here's to a fun and festive Holiday Season.

Credits: Bella Bella Overlays by Carina Gardner, PP for the card Holiday Magic2 Papers by Carina Gardner, Flourish under photo Urban Chic Boutique Overlays by Jen Alysson, Ornament-Ornament Stickers by Jen Alysson (To be released this Tues.)

Betsy Tuma's Sweater Weather Papers-His

2009-11-29T17:12:00.000-08:00

My first assignment with the 2peas Creative Team was to create two Layouts using Betsy Tuma's New Sweater Weather Papers and Alphas. They were really neat to use. The papers were full of texture and the patterns reminded me of retro Christmas Sweaters. (I'm sure my Dad had one or two.) The alphas were really cool too and not only is there a set of patterned alphas that cooridinate with the papers there is also a set of solid alphas.

Here are the two kits that I used in my projects. She also has a Sweater Weather Solids and extras kit that all co ordinate. Not to mention that last week she released Sweater Weather-Hers. You can check them out at 2peas in a bucket or just click the preview.

The first Layout is of our beloved Casey. I love how when I'm busy working on something at the computer he lays nearby all curled up. The photo had a lot of texture and warmth so I wanted to make sure that I captured that in my layout and the sweater weather papers really helped me do that.

This is an older photo of my youngest dd. It's always been one of my favourite photos and I love how she looks so bundled up. Once again the sweater weather papers seemed perfect for the feeling I wanted to convey.

Credits for Cozy: Sweater Weather His papers and alphas Betsy Tuma, Film strip by Carina Garder, Stitching Basic Stitches and antique stitching by MaryAnn Wise.

Credits for Sweater: Sweater Weater His papers and alphas by Betsy Tuma, Background pp Grunge Neutral Patterned Paper by MaryAnn Wise, Antique Pins by MaryAnn Wise.

All products can be found at the 2peas in a bucket Digital Store.

Freebie Friday

2009-11-27T10:15:00.000-08:00

I so like the sound of that... I wonder if I should make that a regular thing. I've been so busy this week I wasn't sure if I would even be able to finish the design I was working on but I did find time to get it done. So without further ado here is my next design:

Click on the preview to download.

There are 6 3.5x 5.5 and 2 11x11 Christmas Word Overlays/Frames. They could be used on a digital scrapbook page to pretty up a page or a photo. They could also be used to frame up your journeling. I should do some hybrid projects with some of these, so that any of you traditional scrappers could see how easy it is to add a few digital items to your page.

Extraction Tips & Tricks

2009-11-24T00:05:00.000-08:00

There are one or two things that you can do in digi that you simply are unable to duplicate in traditional scrapbooking. One of my favourite digi techniques is extractions. I don't use extractions on every Lay out but every now and then a Layout seems to call to me to be extracted. There are many ways to approach extractions but which ever way you choose, it takes practise and patience to get the look you want.

I know some people like the magic eraser tool but I rarely use it because I find it either erasers parts of my image that I want to keep or leaves too sharp an edge. I do sometimes use the quick selection tool but only when the contrast between the part I want to extract from the background is high. Otherwise I use the marquee tools to create a selection around the image I want to extract. When I first started it took me a very long time but now I can extract an image quite quickly.

Another real key for me has been making sure that I put a small feather on my selections. (around 3-5 px) I find that the feather makes it look more real when you place it on a different background especially hair. Once I have finished the selection I click Ctrl J then I use a soft round brush with a lowered opacity to clean up any rough edges.

One neat trick I learned recently from the Pen Scrappers Site was to use the pen tool to pull some hair out along the edge. There is a cool tutorial on the site called the pulled hair technique. I won't get into a ton of detail but if you think it sounds like something you'd like to try you can check out the tutorial by Margie Lundy here.

If you are new to the technique I suggest you try something simple like an object. Humans can be tricky because of hair and I still find hands and feet tricky a bit tricky too. I hope you will give it a try. I've included a recent LO that shows a number of extractions. Fun hey!

Kreativ Blogger Award

2009-11-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was very pleasantly surprised to read in my comments that Jo from curlyscrapbooker had nominated me for this Kreative Blogger award. It's a pretty cool award. The expectations upon receiving the award are as follows:

Thank the sender for nominating you.

make sure you link to the person who nominated you.

Copy the logo onto your blog

List seven interesting things about yourself.

Nominate Seven Kreative Bloggers

Post links to their Blog

Leave a comment for each letting them know of their nomination.

So seven interesting things about myself...are you sure you really want to know? Okay here goes Seven Things you may not already know about me

I worked as a Manager for Starbucks for 10 years! Now I'm a total coffee snob.

I participated in an Aquathon a couple years ago (a 1k swim followed by a 10 k run.)

I have three children ranging in age from highschooler to primary school.

My Grannie was awarded Guinness World Record for being the oldest female waterskier. (She was 86 at the time. She is now 90.

I am Canadian and proud of it!

I've only travelled to a handful of places- Hawaii, Las Vegas, Mexico, Bahamas.

Someday I want to travel to all sorts of amazing places.

Now the hard part to nominate 7 bloggers. It 's not that I can't find 7 bloggers, it's that I need to narrow it down to seven because I know some really amazing Kreativ Bloggers.

Heather at Scrapping Along
Mary at Just Us Photography and Digi Stuff
Jill at Clickclickcreate
Janelle at Picnic Hill
Jillian at Welcome to Jillville
Debi at Debi's Dabblings
Kim at Inside my Head (Kimosabe Scraps)

So thanks again Jo for the award and I hope you will all head over some of these lovely blogs.

My Son

2009-11-22T08:34:00.000-08:00

Although you might not know it from the number of photos or scrapbook pages I have, (or lack of) I really do have a son. It's tough for him, because not only is he the middle child, he is also the quietest and the most reserved. How do you make yourself noticed when your older sister is outgoing and talkative and your younger sister is gregarious and silly.

Although I am of course proud of all my children, J is the sweetest. He is the first one to say Mom, sit down and relax. When I was sick he told me he wouldn't allow me to make dinner and made me lie down while he made dinner. I am not the only one that J takes the time to help. He is like that with all those around him, both friends and family. If he thinks you're sad, he'll come sit with you, when a neighbour had to go to the hospital, he offered to take care of their cat. Yes my J is a bit of an unsung hero.

I always say thank you when he helps me out but if anyone tries to go beyond a simple understated thank you, J gets very uncomfortable. I don't know if he realizes how unusual he is especially for a boy. He reminds me a lot of my dad who is also very caring. I wish I could show him how much I appreciate his very special personality, which brings me back to the beginning of this post. How do you celebrate and document the life of someone who doesn't really like to be in the lime light. I guess I'm going to have to get better at doing journal focused pages.

Not that long ago I created a page explaining to J why his sisters have double the scrapbook pages to his. It actually has helped a bit and now he is a little bit better about letting me take his photo. Truth be told though, I think he is only doing it because he knows it makes me happy. I love you son.

Supplies: Background PP-DigiKit - Paris & Co-French Solid 1 Paper Pack by Carina Gardner, Accent Paper @2peasinabucket.com- DigiKit - Watercolor Beach Papers by MaryAnn Wise @ 2peasinabucket.com, Card- DigiKit - Study Hall - School Cards by Jen Alysson @2peasinabucket.com.

Exciting News

2009-11-20T00:05:00.000-08:00

Recently 2peas in a bucket put out an announcement, looking for digital scrapbookers to join their first ever digital creative team. The call ended on Fri November 13th and the team was revealed on Thursday Night in the Digital Newsletter. I am so thrilled to tell you that I am a part of the inaugural digital creative team for 2peas. It will be so much fun. The other talented ladies who I will be working with are:

Alice Wertz : Alice W
Audrey Neal : aneal
Barb Hogan : Barb Hogan
Christie Jurgens : chrispy_314
Christina Smith : soaring2him
Jennifer Hignite : mom2dylanNdrew
Holly Koenigsfeld : Holly Koenigsfeld
Iara Gomes-Bae : baersgarten
Janelle Miller : janellemllr
Karen Cole : coley k
Kathy Racoosin : kathyrac
Kerry Stewart : Busy.Butterfly (This is me)
Lucy Abrams : Lucy Abrams
Mary Jo Arthur : mj.johnston
Mary Rogers : SuperiorPea
Cheryl Manz Ametewee : Cheryl Manz Ametewee
Nicole LeBlanc : NicoleLeBlanc
Raven Edwards : flossiemae
Va nessa Matthyssen : Maithe
Wilna Furstenberg : Wilna

As I made my way to each new members blog I can't help but feel a bit awed and humbled by the amount of talent on this team and that I get to be a part of it.

It has been quite a process from when I first started digital scrapping two years ago until now. I find it so interesting looking through my gallery at 2peas. I can pinpoint exactly when I took a class or stumbled across a new inspiration. I thought you might find it interesting seeing my first layout posted at 2peas and a recent Layout.

Here is my first Layout posted at 2peas. Not too bad I guess, especially for a newbie. I created it for a challenge at 2peas. It's still an okay Lo but if I did it today I would probably tackle it differently especially the photo processing.

I created this Layout a couple of weeks ago. Today I love the photo processing. I love the colors and the design. I wonder where I'll be in another two years.

Credits for Baby Mine: Brown PP a freebie at Designer Digitals and the pink overlay a freebie from 2peas. Brush Work from Design Fruit.

Credits for Trick or Treat: PP from Spider's Web Papers 1,2, and 3. by Carina Gardner @ 2peas in a bucket. Flourishes from Always Corner Brush Set by MaryAnn Wise @ 2peas in a bucket.

A Little About My Creative Past

2009-11-19T00:10:00.000-08:00

I had a big long post prepared today describing my life long love of art, drawing, and photography. I read it through and even I felt bored to tears. Yikes I can't have that.

I'll try to touch on a few of the interesting things. I have always loved drawing since I was very little. Over the years my creativity has led me down many paths and sometimes life has pulled me off those paths. Some of my favourite creative pursuits have been drawing/sketching, water colour painting, calligraphy, photography, (are you really surprised?) sewing, home decor, and of course scrapbooking. I started with paper scrapbooking and I think that is reflected in my digi scrapbooking even now. I have been digi scrapbooking for two years and I have ended up loving it even more than paper scrapbooking. I'm not sure why because sometimes I do miss the feel of the paper and the full textures. I don't miss the supplies covering my living room table though. I do intend to do a bit more hybrid scrapping in the new year but for now I'm very content with what I'm doing.

Over the last year I found myself often creating items for my pages. At first I did it to say that I could. Then when I knew I could, I would only create my own things if I couldn't find what I had in my mind in any of the digi stores. Then a month ago I began to think, maybe others would like what I make too, hmmmm I think I'd like to take this designing a little more seriously. This month has been like a month of rediscovery for me. I haven't drawn in ages. I had wondered if my drawing ability disappeared with the birth of my first child but apparently it was only lying dormant. I had totally forgotten how much I love drawing. Who knows where things will go from here but I'm glad that I've been able to create some cool things that people are enjoying.

I really am truly overwhelmed with the response and support of my design work thus far. Thank you everyone so much for taking the time to visit me, comment and download my designs. Please do drop in and let me know if you create anything with my designs, I'd love to see.

December Daily Freebies

2009-11-18T00:30:00.000-08:00

I have been so excited and inspired by the idea of documenting my holidays day by day that I created some dated chipboard pieces. I think they're pretty cool and decided I'd like to share them. They could be used for any digi project whether a Dec Daily album or just individual pages over the holidays. They could also be printed out and then you could use a round punch and then use them on a hybrid or paper page. Either way I hope everyone enjoys creating over the holidays.

Hi again just editing this to let any of you who downloaded my Chipboard pieces this morning (Nov 18) that I had to replace the file because the PNG had a white background instead of a transparent background. I fixed it all up now! Sorry about that to many LATE nights! I'm still paying for it.

Burning the Midnight Oil

2009-11-17T09:22:00.001-08:00

Do you ever have one of those nights when you go to bed and an idea for a project jumps in your head. That is what happened to me last night. Usually I roll over and go to sleep hoping desperately to remember the epiphany. Occasionally I decide it's such a worthy idea that I jot or sketch it down in my notepad. However, last night the idea was so strong I could visualize the project from start to end. I kept thinking about it and then couldn't get back to sleep. I ended up getting up with the thought that I'd just "start" the project. Ya right. Once I started I couldn't stop. Next thing I know it's 2:30 in the morning and it dawns on me that I am REALLY going to pay for this late night creativity the next day.

And yes I am tired today but I have a finished layout to show for it! Hehe. Sometimes you just need to do what you gotta do.

Supplies: PP from my Winter Wonderland Collection: Snow Day and Nordic paper packs, Round Alphas are my Mini Round Alphas (available free here on my Blog). Stitching Basic Stitches no1 by MaryAnn Wise @2peasinabucket.com.

December Daily

2009-11-14T08:20:00.000-08:00

It's only mid November but the shopping malls are already beginning to sport Christmas garlands and lights. In the last few years this is about the time I would begin to feel very anxious. I don't have a large income and at times it's hard enough to make ends meet at normal times never mind the extra expenses that Christmas time brings. I think this is why in the last few years I haven't documented my Christmas at all, I was simply too tired and too stressed.

This year circumstances in the income department, are not really much better. In fact with the economic downturn things are worse. However, I refuse to let a small bank account ruin my Christmas and more importantly my children's Christmas. In the end our memories are about the small things, not the big gifts.

When I was young, my parents could generally afford to give us really nice gifts but that is not what I remember. The memories that stand out the most are the year my Mom and Dad made me a barbie house themselves. I remember the huge family dinners we had at each of my Grandparents place. Another favourite was watching the holiday specials on TV.

My commitment this year is to connect with those small special things that make Christmas so magical. Not just on Christmas Day but all those days leading up to it. Cool no!

And as an avid scrapper I can't let these moments simply slip into oblivion, I want to document them and enjoy that process as well. Many scrapbookers have been involved in a Dec Daily the last few years and some tackle it on their own and others tackle the process with the support of a class. When I decided I wanted to do this I was surprised by the number of classes there are, but I have narrowed it down to two. The first is Shimelle Laine's class Journal your Christmas and the second is Jessica Sprague's class Stories in hand. There are many wonderful classes and I encourage you to shop around.

I was so excited about my decision that I created a Christmas Layout. (Eeeeckkkk did I admit that out loud!) Okay the picture is actually from last holiday season. I know there has been lots of buzz about these classes....is anyone else doing a project like this?

Credits: PP-Holly Joly Mini Kit by Jen Alysson at 2peasinabucket, Swirl Brush- Flourish Borders by MaryAnn Wise at 2peasinabucket, Ornament embellishment by Carina Gardner at 2peasinabucket. The quote is from the Holiday Movie "Elf"

When Things get Tough....

2009-11-13T09:33:00.001-08:00

When you find yourself getting stressed out, tired out or just taking yourself a little too seriously. Maybe it's time to take a break, chill out and hang out with friends

or maybe just take a few moments to be silly.
Have an excellent weekend everyone and stay tuned for another freebie soon...

Credits: Frame: Vintage Frames by Rhonna Farrer @2peasinabucket

Lest We Forget

2009-11-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

Click on the preview to download the papers and click here for the extras

When I was a little girl we loved to here stories about my Grandad's experiences serving as a pilot in World War Two. The one often retold was his final flight in S for Sugar and how it was shot down over occupied France. While he was thankful to survive, I know it always bothered him that he was the sole survivor. He was able to parachute out of the disintegrating plane and somehow made it safely down in the middle of a potato field. (We often teased him later that this is why he loved potatoes so much.) My Grandfather spoke very little french, but with the little bit that he had learned in high school he was able to communicate with the Farmer. They courageously kept him hidden at their farm for several months until they were able to acquire some forged documents to smuggle him back out of the area. My Grandfather was one of the lucky ones, he came home, married had children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He lived a long productive life and passed a few years ago.

It wasn't until I grew up that I realized that it was never my Grandfather that told this harrowing story, it was always recounted by my Gran or my Dad. Even my Mom could tell the story. I of course have told my own children about my Grandfather and the men that sacrificed their lives so that we could have a better present. In fact my daughter told the story of my Grandad (her Great Grandfather of course) for an important school speech competition. Not only did my Grandfather not retell this story, he hardly talked about the war at all. He would sometimes reluctanly talk about his plane S for Sugar and the men that were with him that fateful day.

The one thing that seemed most important to my Grandad is that no one forget the men who had fallen or the sacrifices so many made. Every year my Grandad dressed in his uniform and attended the city's Remembrance Day services. He never missed a year, even the year that he was diagnosed with cancer and he was thin as a rail from the chemo treatments. I admire my Grandad's steadfastness in keeping the memory alive and I feel that I need to do my part in keeping his story alive for my children. I want them to know how lucky we are to live in a Country where we can have our own opinion and that we can feel safe from violence. I miss my Grandad terribly and it is at this time of year that I think of him the most.

Above I have posted a Freebie mini kit that I created in honour of my Grandfather and to all veterans all over the world.

Mid Class Check in

2009-11-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

It has now been about a week and a bit since I started Shimelles' Blogging for Scrappers Class and I thought that it would be a good time to do a little check in to make sure I'm on track for completing all my goals. So far so good. In some cases I've even done more than what I had planned. For the remainder of the class though I would like to spend a bit more time connecting and supporting my fellow blogging classmates.

Credits: Card- Spot Color Journal Stamps by Jen Alysson @2peasinabucket.com

Relax

2009-11-08T23:00:00.000-08:00

'Nuff Said!

What's for Lunch?

2009-11-08T09:51:00.000-08:00

This is a common refrain in our house. With three children the three sentences I hear the most are; What's for lunch, What's for Dinner, and Mooooommmmm she/he's bugging me. Yesterday was just like any other, and like any other day my little girl walks through the door and asks the key phrase, What's for Lunch?

I answered "I'm not sure baby, What would you like for lunch?"

She declares "Kraft Dinner"! and although she asks for it quite frequently that is indeed what we had for lunch.

Except it got me to reminiscing about all the times I've eaten Kraft Dinner. When I was growing up we often ate Kraft Dinner whether it was for lunch or on an evening when my Dad has a late meeting or my favourite when we were camping. Of course it has been a staple around here since I've had kids. And then it dawned on me I do "heart" Kraft Dinner and just like Macdonalds, where you know it's not that great for you but you have it any way. It's cheap, it's easy and it tastes pretty good. (for something processed anyway.)

All this thinking about Kraft dinner made me think of my Economics Prof from University. Basic Economics always covers the law of supply and demand. The lesson I am thinking of though referred to inferior goods. (Giffen Goods or Staple Goods) Most people when the price of a good rises will stop purchasing a good or find a substitute. Staples goods are generally those things that you purchase even (or especially) when we have less income. All my Economics Profs sited potatoes (maybe they have a side deal or something) as a staple good. Staple goods unlike Giffen Goods will be something that as we have more income we purchase less. So with the example of potatoes, if you had an increase in your income like a raise or new job you would purchase less potatoes and more fillet Mignon. (okay maybe more chicken or roast beef but you get my point right.)

Well this one Prof instead of potatoes talked about Kraft Dinner being a staple good. Many people turn to Kraft Dinner as a cheap fill you up option right. But then he went on to say unless you are like the "Bare Naked Ladies" who sing the song if I had a million dollars..."we wouldn't have to eat Kraft Dinner But we would eat Kraft Dinner! Of course we would, we'd just eat more. And buy expensive Ketchups with it." In that case Kraft Dinner is then a Giffen Good.

I will leave you with this thought....In your house is Kraft Dinner a Staple Good or a Giffen Good?

Happy Digital Scrapbook Day

2009-11-06T20:31:00.001-08:00

Hip Hip Hooray! It's Inter-national Digital Scrap booking Day. To celebrate I have another freebie for you. Click the preview to download.

5 Woman

2009-11-05T22:41:00.000-08:00

The prompt from my blogging for Scrapbookers class today was to list your 5 favorite somethings. I decided that I would like to blog today about 5 woman on the net that have inspired and shaped me as a scrapper and photographer. I have not met any one of these ladies in person and in fact I have not had any personal contact with the first 3 of the ladies on my list but somehow their writing, their creativity, their passion has touched my life and helped me to strive further.

The first on my list is Ree Drummond the pioneer woman. I first stopped at her blog because someone mentioned that she has some great photo actions. Of course they were right, she does have awesome actions available for FREE. That isn't what kept me coming back. For one her photography is A-MAZ-ING,and her photo editing is even more fabulous. Furthermore, she has some really cool tutorials and suggestions on how to make your photos better. The real reason I go back time and time again is that she cracks me up. I love the way she writes about even the most mundane of things. I love that she can laugh at herself and that she is just so passionate about her life. I often stop by and read about her cooking, or home schooling or just her regualr observations about life. When I grow up I want to be Ree Drummond. Okay maybe not but could I live on a farm and take cool photos just like that.
The second lady on my list is Rita at coffeetea photography (Coffee shop Free Actions). Even though I rarely use actions I love to stop by and see what she's added. I think what I like the most is the fact that not only does she offer these wonderful actions but she often post the actions deconstructed. I've learned so much by reading through these. It has really helped me to process my photos in different ways to create unique and emotional looking photos.
Kim Boustany at Kimi Kreations is another inspiring photographer. I love the color rich and subtly textured portraits that she post on her blog. It was particularly her post that started me into the wonderful world of textures.

Now I've saved the best for last! These last two ladies are woman that I have known online for about a year and a half. I have never met them in person. (But if I had the chance I would take it in a heart beat.) They are both amazing artists and truly caring people.

4. One of the two is Heather T from Ooh la la Artsy! Not!. I remember when I first met Heather online. She was just beginning to design her own digital kits. I love Heather's kits and especially her scrapbooking pages. Heather usually posts pages about 3 of her loves; her son, her DH, and the ocean. All her pages are brilliantly designed but the ones I admire the most are her ocean layouts. She combines stunning photography, her own poetry or quotes and soft beautifully blended papers. I adore her work, I have tried to emulate it in the past and failed miserably. Heather also posts tutorials on her blog and she is quick to help out if you have a question

5. Last but not least is Stefani at StefStyle. I first met Stef online at two peas a year and a half ago. She is a toy designer, an illustrator and a rockin digi scrapper. One of the things that I admire about Stef is that she creates everything on her page, from paper to textures. Her style is graphic and clean. When you see her work in the gallery it's hard not to be awed. Her extractions are seamless perfection. Over the time that I've known her I'm not sure how many times I've seen her answer the message board post "How can I extract and image from it's background." (I was one of those eager scrappers at one time too.) She is so generous with her knowledge. The other super interesting thing about Stef is she loves and often collects old things. I've seen gorgeous LO's and photographs of old buildings, post cards, antiques, heritage photos. Her work has definitely influenced my own, especially when it comes to extractions, shadow work, and graphic work.

I don't often think about the ways in which my own work has been influenced and inspired by others. If you have never thought about it I invite you to do so. Not only has it made me appreciate other artists that have touched and guided my art but it has also helped me appreciate my own work. The above is certainly not an exhaustive list of all the wonderful artists that have crossed my path, there are so many people that would be worth mentioning but it just leaves more for me to post another day....

Bittersweet Memory

2009-11-05T18:04:00.000-08:00

Tonight I wanted to share a Layout with you. I shared this layout and story over in the 2peas gallery a week or two ago but it just fits the prompt for Shimelle's Blogging for Scrapbookers class so well that I decided to repeat it again here. Besides it is such a bittersweet memory for me and such a part of both me and my dd's story that it is worth repeating.

The story that I included in my Lo are the details of how when I was pregnant, we (My DD's daddy and I) had thought we would name her Noah whether we had a boy or a girl. Of course this persisted throughout my pregnancy until close to my due date. Then I started to have misgivings about the name Noah for a girl, and it didn't take long for both her Dad and I to come up with the name Autumn.

My dd loves this story she makes me tell it to her over and over again. I think it's so cute that kids like to hear about their early years. So even though she could probably tell the story herself, I always give in and retell the story again.

I knew this story was something that I needed to get down for her but since these memories have been coloured with a tinge of sorrow for me it can be so hard. You see around the time of my pregnancy my husband began to struggle with depression and a mental illness. Rather than address it directly, he chose to self-medicate. Eventually it spiralled completely out of control and when my dd was about one I was forced with a very heavy heart to make him leave. I wish it had been different, I wish that he could have sought out help but there is only so much one can do when the other is unwilling. I feel sad that my dd has never had the chance to know the man that I originally fell in love with. He really dropped out of our lives after that day. He phones me from time to time but my dd hasn't had any contact with him for a long time. Maybe one day I will share more with her but I want her to be able to enjoy her early stories because although her Father has disappeared it does not diminish the joy I had at the time of her birth.

Credit for the above LO: Urban Chic Boutique Wrap Around Ribbon, Study Hall Blank Cards, Fall Jamboree Festive Borders, Fall Jamoboree Solid Papers, Fall Jamboree Owl Papers all by Jen Allyson at 2peasinabucket.com, Great Outdoors Glitter Leaves and Word Lines Brush Set by MaryAnn Wise at 2peasinabucket.com

Celebrating with a Freebie

2009-11-05T12:12:00.000-08:00

Wow the last few days have been a whirlwind for me. I have been overloaded with this crazy learning process. Html codes, interfaces, zipping, pdf's, and uploading are just to name a few of the things that I never really thought I'd need or even want to know.

It has been very exciting and at times frustrating. Should I even mention the fact that the one thing that I think will take me 5 minutes to finish has ended up taking the better part of my morning. Now I'm set, I know more today than I did yesterday.

As I've mentioned before I've been dabbling around with my own personal designs for digital scrapbooking. Last night after spending my evening watching my dd at soccer practise I felt inspired to create some sport overlays. Originally I had planned to include a digi scrapbook page with them but I was so excited about how they turned out I just want to share them right away. So in honour of my new journeys and projects I want to make them available to you. If you wish to download them for your own personal crafting/digi project just click the preview for the download. I hope you enjoy them and if you use them in a project let me know, I'd love to see it.

Start with the End in Mind

2009-11-04T09:43:00.000-08:00

That's what my children have been learning at their school. The principle has set one of their goals as increasing the emotional-socio growth of the students and they are using Sean Covey's book Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens to give everyone a common language.

It seemed fitting for this post to mention these habits because for one I just think they are totally cool and one of the habits happens to be, begin with the end in mind. I am at the beginning: the beginning of my blogging journey and (drum roll please) the beginning of a new class called Blogging for Scrapbookers by Shimelle Laine. One of our first tasks is to set some goals for what we will accomplish for the next 3 weeks.

Here are my goals for the next 3 weeks.

Set up/create a blog.
Develop and add to that blog a bit everyday so that in 3 weeks I have an interesting, pertinent and visually stimulating blog.
Blog 3-4 times a week.
Share some awesome free digital scrapbooking goodies. 1 per week.
Share at least one LO per week.
Interact and participate with the class and their blogs everyday.

This goal starts November 3 2009 and will be completed Nov 22, 2009.

Do What You Love & Love What You Do

2009-11-02T15:34:00.000-08:00

I have resisted the blogging phenomenon for a long time! I guess I felt that since the web is already filled with many musings and meanderings why add any more to that unless I had something worthy to share.

Now I have something that I want to share. I hope to be able to share my knowlege, my passion and my designs with you in the coming months ahead. I have scrapped for over seven years. The first few years were grounded in paper scrapbooking and then two years ago I began digital scrapbooking. In that two years I have served on several creative design teams and have now begun creating my own designs. I hope you love them as much as I do. Very soon I will set it up so that I can share some digi freebies with you.
Cheers Kerry