Getting Ready for Christmas with 'Tis the Season!

It seems like it is a long way away, but Christmas will soon be here!  I have been trying to get ahead by prepping some layouts ahead of time- ready to pop some photos in!

For a traditional look, 'Tis the Season can't be beat!  It's lovely green and red colours and beautiful patterns are perfect for just about any holiday photo or card!

I have started with a couple of simple and easy layouts for holiday photos:

In addition to the 'Tis The Season paper pack, coordinating cardstock and complements, I also used the CTMH Cricut Flower Market cartridge.

With this collection, you will be ready for all those Christmas photos in no time at all!  I hope you will check out the links to get all the details on these great products for your Christmas crafting!

Autumn is Awesome!

One of things I love best about living on Vancouver Island is the amazing fall weather and the colours that autumn brings!  This last week has been clear, sunny and warm- and perfect weather for getting outside and enjoying all that nature has to offer.  This past weekend, my love Mark and I went to visit Butchart Gardens - an internationally renowned garden built on an old quarry.  It is beautiful all year round, but I had never visited in the fall.  It was incredible!

Of course, many photos were taken, and luckily I have the Grateful Heart paper pack and embellishments on hand to scrap a few of those photos!

This paper is so perfect for fall photos of all kinds!  This layout came together quickly and easily!

If you would like to purchase this lovely paper and coordinating embellishments, please click HERE - the full kit also has downloadable instructions to make three double layouts, if you need a little creative inspiration!

Hope you enjoyed this little taste of our Vancouver Island fall!  Get outside and enjoy - and don't forget to take some photos!!!

Hostess with the Mostest!

One of the best things about being a hostess for your own Close to My Heart Gathering is having the opportunity to purchase special Hostess Only stamp sets!  

One of my favourites from this catalogue is called Craftermath!

I had fun making cards with this stamp and there are several hostess only stamps that you can choose with the rewards you earn by hosting a gathering!

You can even choose items at 50% - like this amazing Workspace Wonder Bundle!

Check out the rewards you can earn!

Contact me to arrange to host your own CTMH Gathering!  Prefer an Online Gathering?  I can help you host that as well!  Check HERE for all the details - and Host a party in October that reaches the third level of Hostess Rewards or higher, and you’ll get a FREE Holiday Sparkle Cut Above® card kit —    an added value of $39 that you can receive at no additional cost to you!                           If you haven’t booked your October party yet, contact me today!

Finally time to Create!

I have finally had some time to play with this month's special Holiday Sparkle Kit - love me some shaker cards!  And so simple and easy to put together- plus an adorable Christmas stamp set, as well.

It comes with everything you need to make 12 cards and embellished envelopes, and you have the option to purchase the stamp set if you like!

The non traditional colours are fun, and I love the easy peasy foam and acetate to make the shaker cards!  I have always loved them and with this kit they are so quick and simple!

This set is only available until the end of October.  It is only $39.00 plus tax and shipping, or $51.00 with the cute stamp set!  Check out all the details on my website - here !

Thanks for checking out my blog!  I can't wait to show you some more of 

our new products, so stop by again soon!

Holiday Expressions is here!

I'm so excited!  The new Holiday Expressions catalogue is now available to view and order from on my website HERE !

It is chock full of wonderful new paper packs, embellishments and stamps GALORE!  Plus new texture pastes and easy to use shaker card kits!  I hope you will take a few minutes to see what's in there- I am sure you will find something you love!

I am spending tomorrow in my craft room, and I can't wait to create and share all the amazing new products!

Bring Back My Pack

Today I have a layout using one of my favourite paper packs -More Magical!  It’s a

 retake of the Magical Paper Pack that was super popular!  It’s very Disney-esque, but also 

great for all kinds of scrapbook pages!  

My friend Meghan and I did the Walk for Arthritis and I wanted to document the event.  The blue paper in the More Magical pack was a perfect fit for the blue and white Arthritis Society logo!  And the starry paper was great for the "walk star" goodies I saved from the event!  Meghan and I both live with rheumatoid arthritis, and this was a great way to raise money and give back!

The More Magical paper pack and coordinating cardstock and stamp are available for a limited time, while supplies last.  I am planning on using it for some Disney pics that I have from our trip to Disneyland TEN YEARS AGO!  I hope that makes you feel better if you are someone who is chronically "behind" on their scrapbooking!  

Catching up with Fresh Air

I have been busy in my craft room catching up on all those unscrapped photos I have been collecting on my phone!  Because I wanted to get things completed fairly quickly, but still looking good, I opted to use the Fresh Air paper pack and embellishments, along with the downloadable instructions for putting together 3 double layouts and 8 cards!  They came together quickly and easily!

This pack is perfect for your camping, hiking and other outdoorsy photos!  I used photos from our trip to Pender, as well as some from the trip  my husband Mark and son Josh took to the Yukon last summer.  One of the highlights for Josh was a trip to a breeder of sled dogs-huskies, which are his favourite!  We had so many great photos, so I opted to use Flip Flaps to add some extra photos.

The third layout has photos from our recent trip to visit family in Powell River - so many beautiful places to walk and hike-perfect for this paper!  This paper is only available until September 1st, while supplies last, and they are going very fast!  Check out the links above if you want to get some of this great paper and coordinating embellishments!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I am looking forward to sharing more artwork with you!

Back doing what I LOVE!

It has been a long time since I have written a blog post.  I took a bit of a hiatus from my crafty life.  I spent a lot of time working-at work and at home.   I did some quilting, but very little papercrafting, and completed almost no pages for my scrapbooks.  My photos stayed on my phone.

But I have discovered that not having a creative outlet is not great for my well being.  I am grumpier, less focused - and there is a lot less joy in my life. I watch too much TV and mindlessly eat too much crappy food.  I have less gratitude for the amazing life I have.  And I missed it, that creative time, that art making.

So I am back doing what I love.  Scrapbooking.  Memorykeeping. Storytelling.  It's my happy place.  Photos, stories, and all that paper goodness!  I'm excited again.  It's a good feeling, and one I hope to share.  This is a place to share what I am creating, and to offer suggestions to help you on your creative journey. I will also let you know what products I am using, in case you are interested.  I will try not to hard sell - that's not really who I am, anyway, but I do love Close to My Heart products, so I will be talking about them, too.  Thanks for checking this out- I hope you will come back again.  In the meantime, I have some crafting to do!