We went on a search

for the perfect Christmas tree and I think we might have just found it! Things are going to be a bit low key around here this year. I didn't really want to go to the trouble of putting up a tree but my dh really wanted one. We had a number of errands to run last weekend and on our way home drove past a garden nursery in the little town beside us. I caught a glimpse of a tree and had dh drive back to look at it. It was about as perfect as it could get. Smallish, straight trunk and very fresh! We had them cut off a bit from the bottom of the trunk, got it netted and loaded it on top of the SUV.
This first layout was made using the Christmas Cocoa II 12x12 pre-designed page ... I literally just plopped the pictures into place and typed a bit of journaling! It took all of, maybe, 10 minutes! SWEET!

This second layout was using some Christmas Cocoa II paper, but it was a "create your own" project with the photo blocks in place. Again ... really easy, fun and it only took about 30 minutes 'cause I fuss so much!

What I am really loving is the fact that I got 3 layouts done in two evenings!! WOW!
Well ... I'd better get off here ... I've got some presents to wrap and some to make. I'll come back with pictures to let you see what I ended up with.

Using up ...

my "stuff" ... finally! Ok ... I admit it ... I hoard my stuff!! There ... I said it. LOL
Last year I bought a tutorial from Andrea Walford and finally got around to making the flip book.
Why didn't I make this sooner??? Her directions were so concise and easy to understand, the pictures (for a visual learner like myself) were so helpful. It took me only 2 evenings of sitting in front of the tv to make 4 of them! I highly recommend her planners!! Here are a few pictures of this planner.

MDS Scrapping

I'm really loving this programme ... it is so easy and quick. I'd really like to find a printer that I can use to print off these pages as I make them ... so far, you cannot print individual scrapbook pages through Stampin' Up! If you know of a printer where the colours are true and the price is reasonable ... please let me know.

Sorry about the delay ...

it's been a tough week. It seems like I keep coming on here and whining about my life and that is so not what I want to use this blog for. Bear with me while I get this off my chest and then I'll be done once and for all (I hope ... LOL).
As mentioned a few months ago, we lost our mother this summer. Dad had been her caretaker through her battle with cancer and focused solely on her health. As is quite usual in these cases, his health consequently suffered a great deal, but was not noticed until her passing. In October we brought my father down south to stay with us while he was being evaluated for experimental heart surgery in Toronto. He was ultimately accepted and decided to move into a retirement home nearby "TEMPORARILY" ( his words, lol) until the surgery and then for his recuperation.
Unfortunately, he didn't make it to his unscheduled surgery date. While fighting to the end, he passed away on Monday morning. This week has obviously been an ordeal. My sister and her family will be heading back up north now that the weather is finally co-operating (we've had a horrible storm most of this week, as has most of the rest of the province). I'll be cleaning up this weekend and back to work on Monday morning. I try not to inject my personal life much here but I would like to pay tribute to my parents by showing you a picture that I cherish so much now. This was taken Mother's Day when my dh and I surprised my mother by making a day trip up north for brunch.

Thank you all for bearing with me!

NOW ON TO OUR REGULARILY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING ...

Here is the picture of my hybrid MDS card when finished.



I'll be back in a day or two with more MDS creations ... I love this programme!
(don't forget that you can click on the picture for a larger picture)

A Learning Curve ...

One of the steps to being MDS Certified was designing a card and having it printed. I decided that I would have two printed ... one that was 100% digital and the second I would make hybrid. I omitted the ribbon on the second and sent it off to be printed. Below are the cards that were sent off to be printed and following them is the card after I added the physical ribbon.

Sooooo ....

I've been playing around with My Digital Studio ... what an easy program to manouever around in!! I created my blog header in it. What do you think?
I'm really looking forward to some time off at Christmas to play even more.
I've not had a lot of time to stamp ... a lot of running around with Dad and, unfortunately, a bit of down time with a flu or bug or something.
My club is finished until February, but there has been some interest in some classes. I'm hoping to sit down and get some arranged beginning in the new year.
Hopefully I'll be back in a day or two with some pictures of something I've stamped!

The Season is starting ...

Check out the deals! Show your hubby, boyfriend or significant other ... have him call or email me to order your Christmas present (I will even wrap it up "Stampin' Up!" style for them). If you can't decide what you would like ... I have gift certificates and will wrap it up too!

On a side note ... I apologize for not being around much. I've been a bit pre-occupied with my father. His health is not very good at the moment and he has come to live down south here for a bit. He'll be having some heart surgery at some point, and until then ... I am his driver.

To say that I have not had much stamping time (or space ... My Goodness! my room is a disaster!) would be an understatement! But ... I'm turning that around. I've put together a little project that I gave my club ladies at our last meeting. I'm hoping to get pictures of it tomorrow and will try to post them in the next day or two.

The rest of the Custom Scrapbook Pages ...

And the very last page in the album ...

Thanks for looking!!

So Sorry ...

that I haven't been around lately. Working full-time has really cramped my stampin' style! I've been able to get some stamping done, but (of course) didn't get pictures of some of it!
I've got the rest of the album to show you, a card or two and then a surprise! Bear with me 'til the weekend and then I hope to be back on a more regular basis. (Yeah, I know that I've said that before!) LOL
In the mean time ... the following picture also shows what has taken up so much of my "free" time.

A few more pages ...

More Custom Album

Here are a few more layouts for the custom album for my dil.

Custom Album

Thanks so much for the kind words about my work ... as you know, it validates what we do!

Quite a few weeks ago my dil asked me to put together an album for someone special in her life. It was actually scary how it all fell into place for me and how easy it was to do! I am so very pleased with how the album turned out! I used a retired SSK (Tie the Knot) and kept the additional embellishments to a minimum. I went to Splitcoast and case'd the layouts from many different people. I'll be posting pictures over the next few days.

This is the opening page.

The first 2 page layout.

Wedding Bells are ringing ...

or at least will be ringing for my friend, Les and her luv, Geoff. I was extremely flattered when she came over right away and asked me to help her design and make their invitations and everything else needed for the wedding! She and her luv were so easy to work with ... and in no time at all we had the design decided on. I cut all of the paper for them and then Les got her children to work!! They did an awesome job!!

Les and her kiddies have already cut, scored, stamped and pre-taped the favour boxes ... they just need some tweaking which I'll do a little later.

I've got a little something planned to add to all of this, but can't show you until after the wedding so that it will be a surprise for Les and her luv.

To some special people ...

I owe a huge Thank You!
It's been a difficult time and a couple of very special people stepped up without asking a single question and made things much easier for our family.
On Thursday morning my father and dh went out to the golf course to try to de-stress ... their way, while I came up here to my stamp room to de-stress ... my way. I needed to make some special thank you cards and found these by Jill Hilliard. The premise worked! I found myself so totally engrossed in making them, that by the time I was done ... Dad and dh were walking in the door!

I have to tell you a story about the following card ... dh saw the cards sitting on my workspace, saw the border punch sitting on my workspace and felt compelled to "play". This is his card and I know the perfect person to send it to.

This is a very hard post ...

and not one that I had ever wanted to make.
The previous few posts were pre-scheduled to post while I was up north @ my parent' home keeping vigil with my father, sister and her sons at our mother's bedside. Mom lost her fight with cancer early Saturday morning with us at her side and knowing how much we loved her.
I appreciate all of the good wishes that were left.
Obviously we will miss her more then words can express, but she is at peace and no longer struggling.
It's been a very long week ... but my father and sister and her family have gone back up north and we will try to find a way to carry on now. My husband is taking a few extra days and is now on vacation.
I found some quiet time this morning and used it to make some Thank You cards for some very special people. I'll post these in a few days, once I get them from my husband's camera.

More Cards for Mom

Here are the cards that I had started and planned on finishing with mom. I was hoping to have her input for the greetings, but had to figure things out for myself.

I got the idea from another demo ... Kelly Ramey had submitted this class idea to Stampin' Up! and it was posted on the demo side of their website. It is so versatile!

Simple is good!

I've subscribed to No Time To Stamp ... I
LOVE Sharon's style ... so clean, simple and stunning! I fell in love with these cards and since I had the papers ... had to give it a try.

I'm happy with my version, but realized while making these cards that I also LOVE Nestabilities! And I NEED more! LOL!! Just the basic ones ... rectangles, circles, labels ... Oh who am I kidding?? What ever I can get my hands on ... I'll need!

I love that deckled edge from the Nestability!
I'm also loving making up cards sets for gifts. It's nice to have a few on hand for last minute gift giving!