Challenge 39 A New Perspective

Well, after a little panic over not being able to find today's sketch anywhere...I found it!! YAY! So this week's sketch is an 8.5x11" layout that is perfect for any page measurement. Adapting this to a 12x12 is really easy, just mount the sketch onto a page of 12x12 and you're good to go!! I have been contemplating starting an album this size. These dimensions lend really well to using only 4x6's and smaller. No massive prints needed. And this week the girls have done a fantastic job of their pages...check them out!!

Danielle

Christine


Margaret

Tania
Sallie

Wanna See?

This is it...this is where the magic is happenin'. It looks a little dodgy, I know, but when we're finished with it, this place will look a whole lot different. The inside looks like this...

Don't you just love the giant beast of a woodstove?? It sure keeps things toasty but it's comin' out once all the drywall is up. As nice as wood heat is, the smell is just too much for all that paper & other scrap stuff that will just soak up the smell.

This window is where my desk will go so I can use what little natural light there is.
It is such a ramshackle little building but when all the work is done and the painting is finished, it will look amazing. I'll keep ya posted.

Fair Isle First-timer

Aren't these lovely??? I saw these in a recent copy of Interweave Knits and absolutely HAD to try them out. They turned out really well and they are a gift for my 'secret sister', a woman I've never met, to whom I send monthly gifts...The gifts are supposed to be scrap-related but since I don't have my stuff, I thought I'd make these instead. I hope she likes them. I think they are great and I already plotted out the chart for a skull & crossbones set. Those ones are gonna rock!!
And remember the gorgeous yarn I bought when I was in Skagway Alaska?? Well, I literally abandoned my other knitting project and whipped together the scarf it was meant to be made into in about 2 days. I love it but I wish it was double the length. This is how it turned out...
And in other news...renovations have started in what was previously known as the snowmachine shed. I finally was able to go in and empty out the 'studio' of its contents...I'll limit the gruesome details to this one thing - mummified bunny rabbit...blech!-other than that there was beat up furniture and old worn out electronics but now the real progress has begun. Ray's pal Eddie came by to help out with farm-related stuff but was soon put to work with strapping, insulation, drywall and windows. I can't get over how much was accomplished. And I was only planning to empty out the room and sweep the floor!

I'm going to put new batteries in my camera and try to get some photos of the progress posted in the next few days so you can share in my joy. I can't wait to get it done and move my scrap stuff in.

Enjoy your Wednesday.

Chinese Moon Festival

Today marks the day where in China, the mid-autumn moon festival celebration takes place. There is much tradition behind this event and some of the stories are bursting with romance. The one I liked the most told about lovers who would sit under the full moon eating moon cakes and drinking wine. For those who could not be together, they would still indulge in the traditions of moon cakes and wine knowing that they were under the same moon. I love this concept in that it brings unity to loved ones even when they are apart. Today, use this idea for an "Under the same moon" layout. Be sure to journal lots with this one. It would be a great opportunity to play around with a little hidden journaling if the contents are on the personal side. Now go forth and scrap!!

season of change

This image is created by one of my favorite artists, Alphonse Mucha. The image above celebrates Autumn which begins today. I love the romance that this time of year brings along with the need to be indoors cooking, knitting, reading...all those lovely cool-weather activites that were forgotten during the warm summer months.
Today, while you are scrapping, create a page telling about your favorite fall activities or that showcases photographs you've taken as the leaves turn from green to gold, orange and red.


I received in the mail the other day a copy of That's Life by Nic Howard, a book about finding scrapbook inspiration in the everyday. This book is so wonderfully written. The notebook layout with days-of-the-week tabs makes the entire book so much fun to work with. I have already taken photos of seemingly mundane things such as the toilet paper on the holder in the bathroom - posing the question of Over or Under??, puzzle pieces strewn across the livingroom floor - my youngest son's newest obsession, and so many other subjects. I even photographed my coffee mug with cold coffee still in the bottom - something that drives Ray bonkers - in an effort to archive another one of my quirks.

Consider adding this book to your collection. It serves as a valuable tool when you are feeling like you've taken hundreds of photos of your kids at the playground and you maybe need a new direction. Super handy book with really fun journaling.

Oh, one last thing, it snowed today! ACK!!!

Cool Photography Site

For those of you who are fellow photo-junkies, this site is very cool. I read about it this morning on Ali Edwards' blog. There are daily photo assignments - easy and totally subjective so you can make it as challenging as you like and there's a page full of great tips from 'the pros' - whoever they are- that will enable you to make some beautiful photographs. Have fun with it!!

Challenge 38

Alright, so there's a truckload of photos on this one but that's ok, right? This sketch is a great way to illustrate an event that required taking a series of photos and works well with standard 4x6's - mostly. I think this sketch would work well using old photos from the regular family album (or photo box as it is in my current situation) and just go crazy cropping those old snapshots from way back when and voila - you have a masterpiece!!! Here's The Girls' pages...

Tania

Margaret

I like that Margaret has used only the cardstock from her kit along with the velvet rickrack. Shows great versatility.

Sallie

Christine

Danielle

And now you've seen what these guys did with it, I wanna see what you do with it! Tania was feeling a little extra creative and made a schwack of cards and one extra layout using her kit. This is helpful for those of you who have bought the kit (or who are waiting to buy it) to give you a great sense of just how far you can make it go... This is a really practical way to use up your scraps and grow your card stash.

Love this page...I can remember my little ones making this same face...

photo journal - so cool!

I was reading an article about these cool photo journals. They are super easy and totally cute. Even though I have no scrapping supplies, I think I can make one of these. I know that Jessi got her October design team kit yesterday and she was talking about making a mini book. I was a little jealous that I couldn't make one too, but maybe I can!!
Here's a link to a video on how to make this book from your own photographs.

Margaret's Page

I was very early posting yesterday's DT pages but Margaret's page wasn't included. She was away on holidays so she didn't get her page to me until yesterday afternoon. Here's her page for this week. Maybe we'll see some photos in future pages from her trip!!

Challenge 37

I love the concept for this page. The massive photo block can really be used in a number of ways, namely by collaging or doing other creative things to fill that space with something other than just a massive photo!! I do really enjoy the simplicity of the focal point spanning both pages with simple accent photos framing it in. A gentle reminder for anyone participating in these challenges, do as much or as little of this sketch as suits you and the photos you are using and always modify it to reflect your scrapping style. Add embellishments, omit photos...just do your thang!! So below are the pages that our lovely DT has created to show you how they interpreted this sketch using this month's page kit.

Tania

Danielle

Sallie

Christine

Maybe Jessi will play along and make this page just for kicks even though she only just joined and didn't get this month's kit...

Also, if you haven't visited One Little Word recently, the current word is PURE. Why not kill two birds with one stone and incorporate this one into your layout. I think it opens a super opportunity for killer journaling so go do your scrappy magic and create!

What's your name??

Well it happened again. I was tagged. Jessi Lute (the newest design team member) tagged me and this is a funny one. I've seen it circulate as an email forward and it never fails to crack me up...so here it is:

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)

Samantha Bronco

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)

Coconut Cream Pie Maple Cream

3. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)

V-Fal (sounds like a frying pan. Not as cool as I had hoped)

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)

Purple Horse (sounds kinda first-nations)

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)

Marilyn Comox

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)

Fal Va

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink put "The")

Green the Cosmopolitan

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)

George James (I think it sounds kinda cowboy-ish)

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy)

Cashmere Allsorts

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names )

Ellen William (again with the first nations names)


So there you have it, my silly list of names. Now, lets see who else I can inflict this upon... Tania (cuz she's such a great sport), Karen (cuz she tagged me last time) and how 'bout Sallie cuz she's my pal and she's pretty dang funny especially when you put her to the test (now you can update your blog with this one Sal!)

Did you notice...

That Ali Edwards, one of my most favorite sources for inspiration, visited the blog and left you girls some praise. Just thought I'd point it out!

A big thanks goes to Ali for stopping by and givin' the girls some blog-love.

Keep the shiny side up!!

Get a load of this nasty wreck. This happened yesterday afternoon on the highway just in front of our field. Pretty ugly spill, especially considering it was a tanker truck and nobody was sure if it was carrying water or fuel!! Every emergency vehicle was there from ambulances to fire trucks & police cars. Only took a matter of time till reporters were there. It was only a single vehicle crash and for the record, it was carrying water! I don't think the driver was hurt, just shaken up. Yikes.

One Little Word just got Cooler!!

I just learned the dang coolest thing EVER today. Y'all know how much I love OLW and we implement their words into our weekly sketches often. Well, one of their trusty designers, Jessi Lute -as it turns out- is a friend of mine from high school *Go Towhees!*. She and I were pretty tight and shared a common passion for clothing design. We used to go to each others' homes to sew and sketch and fantasize about a future creating amazing clothes. We even suffered together through some creative fashion faux-pas in an effort to express ourselves. Man, we had some really great times. We have totally lost touch over the last 12-13 years but much to my utter delight, we've reconnected. Gotta love that!! So for those of you who are unfamiliar with One Little Word, click the title and it'll take ya there. Here's the link to Jessi's blog. Gotta give out the blog-love!!!

so stoked

Storm's a-brewin'

I gotta tell ya...in the Yukon the skies are absolutely FULL of magic. I have seen some of the most beautiful things from that rainbow I told you about before to the most mind-boggling hail that forces you to drive no more than 15K/h all the way to the fabled Aurora Borealis. The other day was most definitely no exception to the rule. What wonder and beauty found in these skies. This is a series of photographs that I made while waiting for a storm to roll in. It never did, by the way, it merely rolled on by. The field in the photos is our farm. I was standing on top of the hill behind our house. Pretty amazing if you ask me!!

Meet the TEAM (Challenge 36)

So here it is, another Friday but it's anything but ordinary. Today is the official launch of my Design Team. The Girls have been busy scrapping their little hearts out - between camping trips and family reunions - and now, their beautiful artwork is ready to post! Here is the sketch for today. Scroll down to see each of the Girls' pages. Make sure to leave TONS of blog-love, they like it when you do! Also, remember that each of these pages have been created using the monthly scrap-kit listed in the side bar. The Thickers, I think, are the most popular element!! Get your hands on that kit before it's sold out!!

Tania Lennox

Margaret Munday

Sallie Crawford

Danielle Hayward
Christine Moore

The anticipation...OOOOOOH!!!

Oh boy. Tomorrow is a pretty big deal. If you have been a faithful blog reader, you know that I have invited a few talented scrapbookers to join me on a wonderful, creative journey of working as a team while celebrating each individual's artistic talent. My current all-consuming project has been my design team. This team is comprised of Tania Lennox, Christine Moore, Danielle Hayward, Sallie Crawford, Corrie Henning and Margaret Munday. I have come to know these ladies through some of my non-scrapbooking girlfriends and others I have gotten to know throughout my time teaching in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island BC, Canada. Each of these ladies possess an ability to turn such basic items as paper,ribbon, buttons and photographs into emotion-evoking works of art. Over the course of the upcoming year, these artists will invite you into their lives, to get to know their families and to share their insights into life. As you admire their work and read their thoughts, take a moment to visit their personal blogs (links to the right) and leave a comment for them. Please come back tomorrow and have a good look at our very first week of Design Team pages.

See ya tomorrow!!

Ahh...another long weekend!

Amazing that school has been in only a week and we've already got a long weekend! Crazy. Like we didn't have enough time off already. Anyway, Ray & I took the boys to Skagway Alaska on the weekend. We checked the mail, had soup & sandwiches for $50!! and circulated through a few tourist shops. Skagway is a cruise ship port so naturally everything there costs a fortune!! While we were there I picked up a GORGEOUS hank of amazing yarn from a great little craft shop called Changing Threads. The yarns in that store were sooooo pretty! I did a mighty fine job of limiting my purchase to just this! The yarn is 100% merino wool and it is handpainted in Sitka, Alaska by Raven Frog Fiber Arts. I think it's destined to be a cabled scarf. DELICIOUS!!

September's monthly kit

Here it is...what you've all been waiting for! September's kit is 'live' and available for ordering. Get yours now while supplies last!! The contents are listed on the right hand side of the page -----> All the papers inside are from Chloe's Closet by Imagination Project, the Nantucket collection and six sheets ( three different colors) to match. Also, Maya Road has generously contributed chipboard and ribbon & charms to our kits so a BIG shout out to them!! American Crafts white 'smoothie' thickers are inside too...for those of you who are not familiar, they are self adhesive foam letter stickers. They kick ass!


Friday's sketch will be the official unveiling of my Design Team. They received their kits earlier last month and have been scrapping their hearts out to share their artwork with you. They will be using all the materials that you will receive in your kit to give you endless ideas and inspiration for your own memory albums. Order yours today so that you can get scrapping along with the Design Team!