A Scrapbook Nook

'BOO' Halloween Layout

2011-11-07T22:10:00.000-05:00

Here is a layout that I completed from one of the Stamp Shack layout kits, a few weeks back. I haven't had a lot of time to post lately, and I also haven't had a lot of time to scrapbook lately, so I thought I'd start posting some layouts that I've done over the last couple months. Hopefully I'll get some photos added to this layout soon!

Cuba Summer Vacation Layout

2011-10-02T11:57:00.000-04:00

Here's a layout with some pictures from my recent vacation in Cuba. I made some pinwheels for the first time and they are actually so easy to make! I put a brad in the centre of most, and one has a button in the middle. The title 'Vacation' is cut from the Summer Vacation Cricut cartridge. I 'stitched' around the title with a white pen. The quote "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page" is one of my favourite quotes and it is from a Creative Memories travel quotes package. I'm entering this layout in the Cricut Circle Canadian online swarm for the 1st challenge!

Wish - Disney Cruise Layout

2011-09-23T19:22:00.001-04:00

Here's another layout from The Stamp Shack. I added some glossy accents and stickles to the stars. The 'Wish' layout was perfect for adding a birthday celebration photo, and the colours went well with photos from our Disney cruise.

Journey - Travel Layout from Disney Cruise

2011-09-21T23:47:00.000-04:00

Here's todays layout that I made from the kit that the very talented Shanda from The Stamp Shack put together! I LOVE the new travel papers from Imaginisce's Bon Voyage Line! This also has to be one of my favourite layouts from the Wednesday kits yet! I used a lot of ink on this layout to give a bit of a distressed look.

Joan's Scrapbook Album / Guest Book

2011-08-20T19:12:00.000-04:00

Here's an album I created for my coworker Joan's 60th birthday. It's a combination of a scrapbook and guest book. I used a chocolate coloured chipboard album from Bo Bunny and all of the patterned paper I used was from DCWV Mariposa stack. I used some Martha Stewart and Fiskars border punches to dress up some of the edges. Cricut cartridges used include Ashlyn's Alphabet and Graphically Speaking. Unfortunately, I didn't leave enough blank spots for Joan's friends and family to sign as there were around 200 people at her party! Some blank card stock pages were added after just so there was enough room for everyone to sign!

Floral Scrapbook Layout

2011-08-17T22:25:00.000-04:00

Here's another recent layout from a kit from the Stamp Shack. I'm not sure what pictures I'll use on this layout yet, but I love the girly floral papers and the dimensional floral embellishments. It will work great with pictures of my daughter, who's a girly girl!

Honey Bees Dance Layout

2011-08-08T20:58:00.000-04:00

Here's a dance layout I made from another Stamp Shack kit. I used photos from my daughter's dance recital for this layout. One thing that was unique to this one, was I did some paper weaving, which I don't think I've done since primary school! It was actually a little tricky, but I do like the end result! This layout also involved a lot of cutting... most of the flowers were hand cut.

Summer Beach Layout

2011-08-05T23:05:00.000-04:00

Here is another layout from a Stamp Shack kit. I think this one has to be my favourite so far! All of the patterned paper is from Fancy Pants Designs (one of my favourites)! I added a lot of bling to the layout with lots of stickles, glossy accents, and even some Tattered Angels Glitter Mist (lime green colour used over green polka dot paper). The waves were cut from a sheet of patterned paper, as were the flip flops (this part was pretty time consuming)! This was such a fun layout to create!

Good Fun Times - Disney Cruise Pirate Night Layout

2011-07-26T20:03:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest layout I've completed using a weekly kit from The Stamp Shack. The patterned papers are all from Basic Grey's new line, 'Out of Print.' One neat technique used on this layout was using a bit of water and scrunching up the paper flowers (lower left of layout) to give them a more 3D textured look. After, I inked them with Tim Holtz distress ink. The brads in the flower centres are from Stampin' Up. The 'Good Times' part of the title was cut with a Cricut (I forget which cartridge was used) and the 'Fun' banner was hand cut. I used quite a bit of distressing ink and stickles on this layout as well. The photos are from the 'Pirates in the Caribbean' Night on our Disney Cruise.

Canada Day Campout Layout

2011-07-08T22:34:00.000-04:00

Here is a Canada Day Camping layout I created for a challenge that a fellow Canadian Circle member is hosting. Our family went on a camping trip over the Canada Day weekend, so I chose to make this layout a camping theme. I used the 'Cricut Classic Font' cartridge and the 'Campin' Critters' cartridge for this layout and other materials used include Stampin' Up cardstock, Jolee's Canoe Trip stickers and the Creative Memories leaf punch. Now, I just have to get some photos printed from our camping trip to add to this layout.

A-Z Dessert Recipe Layout Swap

2011-07-04T21:10:00.000-04:00

I recently participated in a fun recipe layout swap! This swap was organized by a fellow Cricut message board member and each participant picked a letter from A-Z and designed a recipe layout for their letter. I chose V and my recipe layout was for 'Vanilla Cupcakes.' Here are some photos for all the great layouts I received. I'll be putting these all together to make a dessert recipe book.

Girly Floral Scrapbook Layout

2011-07-04T20:57:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th of July to all my American friends! We celebrated the long Canada Day weekend by going camping in Niagara Falls and had a great time! I'm looking forward to scrapbooking all the photos from the weekend. :)

Now to share a scrapbooking layout! Here is the last week's scrapbook page kit from one of my new fave scrapbooking stores, The Stamp Shack. Once I decide which photos to use on this layout, I'll add them along with a title and some journaling.

A Couple New Cards

2011-06-26T22:01:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple new cards I've completed from a kit from the Stamp Shack. The first one is my favourite so far. It has a gift card holder attached to the front of the card and it was fairly easy to make. All of the cards from this kit are basically made from patterned paper. This is a change for me, as most cards I make are with using some kind of stamps, and sometimes Cricut images. The second card has a dimensional frame on the front. I used my Honey Bee scissors to cut out the detailed flowers. I don't think I'd have the patience to do this all the time!

Little One Two-Page Layout

2011-06-26T21:54:00.000-04:00

Here's the 'Little One' boy layout from last week's scrapbook kit from the Stamp Shack. The adorable elephant paper is from K&Company's Lion Sleeps Collection. 'Little One' is cut from the New Arrivals Cricut Cartridge. The pictures are of my son Ben on a Disney Cruise.

Memories Through The Eyes of a Child Layout

2011-06-15T22:26:00.001-04:00

Here is another layout for my Disney Cruise album. I love this adorable pink elephant paper from K&Company! The title 'memories' was cut with the Graphically Speaking Cricut cartridge (one of my all time favourites!)

More Disney Cruise Layouts

2011-06-12T19:35:00.000-04:00

Here are a few more Disney Cruise layouts I've completed. Each of these were made with a kit from The Stamp Shack, a local scrapbooking/stamping store. I've started frequenting this store since I found out they have open crop times during the day, which is great for me to do when I'm on my lunch break!

Wednesday Layout & Mobile Site

2011-06-09T03:56:00.001-04:00

I visited the Stamp Shack once again today for their Wednesday layout! I am really loving scrapbooking on my lunch break! The stores owner, Sue, is very talented at putting together these beautiful scrapbook kits! Here is the layout we created today:

Also, there is now a mobile version of my blog available! Simply type in www.ascrapbooknook.com on your mobile device's web browser to view the mobile version of my blog. :)

Canadian Cricut Circle Calling Cards

2011-06-09T03:50:00.000-04:00

I got the Canadian Cricut Circle Calling Card Swap cards back in the mail today! Everyone's cards are so original and it's great to get to know the Canadian members more!
Here's a pic of all the cards:

What a great swap!!

Scrappin' on my Lunch Break!

2011-06-01T23:01:00.000-04:00

There is a scrapbook/stamp shop in the mall right beside my office that has just started offering two page layouts that you can complete for $5 on Wednesdays... so guess what I did on my lunch break today?! This is going to be my new Wednesday lunch routine! What a great break in the day to be able to get out of the office and do some scrapbooking!
Here's todays layout. I just need to add some photos.

Vanilla Cupcake Recipe Layout

2011-05-27T22:57:00.000-04:00

Here is a recipe layout that I made for an A-Z Dessert Recipe Swap being hosted on the Cricut message board. I used the Cricut Imagine 'Yummy' cartridge for the 'cupcake' title and the cupcake cut. I used some stamps to make the 'vanilla' part of the title. I added a little bling with some stickles for the cherry.

Cutting Vinyl Race Car Decals

2011-05-25T06:35:00.000-04:00

I usually use my Cricut for scrapbooking, but for the past few days, I've been cutting out vinyl numbers and letters for my second cousins who will be racing at Delaware Speedway this summer. They are racing the mini cars and needed some vinyl decals such as their numbers and names, so I offered to cut them on my Cricut. This is the first time I've cut vinyl! It is actually very easy to do! I had the blade depth set at 4, the speed on low and the pressure set to medium. The cuts came out perfect!
This is also the first time that I've tried using a 12x24 mat! It took me a minute to figure out how to cut out larger numbers. I had to change the settings to 'portrait' and I cut these numbers (the large ones for the top of the car) at 17" and 18". For these numbers, I used the Alphalicious cartridge and the 'short stack' function.
It's amazing how versatile this machine is!

Me & My Scrapbooking Room

2011-05-10T12:30:00.000-04:00

On the Cricut Circle Blog, we were asked to post a picture of ourselves in our scrapbook room, so here is mine!

My scrapbooking room is in our basement and used to be my husband's woodworking shop. When he decided to build a new shop, I got to take over the original one! I must say, it's a much nicer room now than when it was a woodworking shop!

And The Winner Is...

2011-05-08T21:28:00.000-04:00

post #40 - Penny! Congratulations Penny and I hope you love the Destinations cartridge!

Thank you to everyone who entered and to all my new blog followers! I appreciate all the great comments!

I hope everyone has had a great weekend and a Happy Mother's Day!

Blog Candy - Cricut Cartridge Giveaway "Destinations"

2011-05-05T19:54:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! To celebrate my newly designed blog (designed by Madeline at The Shabby Vanity), I have decided to give away a Cricut Cartridge! I'm giving away the 'Destinations' cartridge!

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post telling me what your dream destination is! You can also have a second chance to enter by following my blog and posting a second comment telling me that you are a follower of my blog.

The deadline to enter is at 9:00 pm EST on Mother's Day, May 8th. I will be drawing a random number and the blog post that corresponds with that number will be the winner!

Good luck and thanks for visiting my blog!

Canadian Cricut Circle Calling Card Swap

2011-05-02T23:48:00.000-04:00

I am participating in a fun swap with fellow Canadians on the Cricut Circle Board. We are each making 20 calling cards to swap with one another. This was my first time making calling cards and it was a lot of fun making these! Each calling card is 3"x3". I used the Kate's Kitchen Imagine cartridge for these little cupcakes. I inked around the edges with my new favourite ink, Creative Memories chalking ink (brown). This ink goes on so smoothly and I really like how it looks. I layered these images with Stampin' Dimensionals from Stampin' Up. I used a little stickles on the icing of each cupcake too. On the reverse side, I have my message board name (Cropaholic), my real name, e-mail address and blog address. I can't wait to see everyone else's creations!

My New Blog is Complete & Blog Giveaway

2011-05-01T01:57:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited to announce that my new blog is complete! It has had a complete makeover and I love the new look! A big thank you to Madeline from The Shabby Vanity who did an awesome job redesigning my blog!
To celebrate, I will be having a blog giveaway! More details coming soon!

April All About The Teacher Contest

2011-04-30T15:35:00.000-04:00

Here is my entry for April's All About The Teacher Contest for the Cricut Circle Magazine Challenge. This is an altered paint can covered in paper from the Teacher's Pet line by Imaginisce. I used one of my favourite Cricut cartridges, A Child's Year for all the school-themed silhouette images. I also used some felt ribbon around the middle of the paint can and decorated the handle with various ribbon.

Royal Wedding Treats & Blog Announcement

2011-04-29T12:33:00.002-04:00

So... who got up super early to watch the Royal Wedding? I was up at 5:20 this morning (I had to leave early to drive my dad to the airport before heading to work) so I enjoyed watching Kate arrive at Westminster Abbey and watched about half of the ceremony. It was a beautiful wedding and Kate and William look like such a cute, happy couple!

To celebrate the wedding at work, my supervisor thought it would be fun to have 'high tea'. She made these delicious brownies with chocolate drizzled strawberries on top and I made the little crown decorations. I used my Cricut Imagine and the Best Friends cartridge for the little crowns. I added some stickles to give the crowns a little bling!

If the wedding weren't exciting enough, I am excited to announce that I am having a total blog overhaul! Madeline from The Shabby Vanity is designing me a new blog!! I have just started working with her and I will be very excited to share my new blog with you all once it's complete!

Easter Cake decorated with Cricut Cake

2011-04-21T00:31:00.001-04:00

Tonight I pulled out my Cricut Cake, which I admit hasn't been used in quite awhile! My daughter is having a cake walk at her school tomorrow so I volunteered to make an Easter cake. Both the bunny and 'Happy Easter' are from the Easter 2010 cartridge. I placed Eggies around the bottom of the cake (and ate way too many myself while I was decorating!!) If I had more time, I would have recut the bunny a bit smaller (I used size 5) so it wasn't going over the edge of the cake, but it was around midnight when I finished and I have to get up early for work, so that wasn't going to happen! LOL!! Happy Easter everyone!

Disney Cruise Layouts

2011-04-17T19:19:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, I went to an all day crop and completed 20 pages! It was so great to get caught up! I actually finished an album for my mother-in-law that I had been working on for quite a while with pictures from her trip to Holland last spring. After I finished the album, I started working on my own pages. Here are the pages I completed of pics from our Disney Cruise a few months ago. Sorry the layout pics aren't the best. I took the photos with my iphone so they aren't the clearest.

Busy, Busy Day (and some great scrapbooking deals too!!)

2011-04-09T23:15:00.001-04:00

Today was a super busy day! It was party day for my daughter Paige's 5th birthday and this is the first year that we have had a kid's party and invited a bunch of her friends from school. It was a lot of fun, but exhausting! We had the whole Spongebob Squarepants theme (Paige's favourite) we made Spongebob-themed crafts, played a Spongebob-themed game, and had a Spongebob cake!

Before all the festivities, my friend Lisa and I rushed out of town to go to the annual scrapbooking garage sale at one of our local scrapbooking stores. It was awesome! I had never been first thing in the morning before and I couldn't believe how packed it was! Apparently, people started lining up outside an hour before the store even opened! There were 100 boxes of all sorts of scrapbooking supplies to go through, and I didn't get through them all with the crowds, so I may have to stop by again tomorrow (the second day of the sale tends to be not as busy). Anyway, I wanted to share some pics of the goodies I picked up. I got tons of paper, some embellishments, and one of my favourite finds was a brand new Cricut messenger bag for $20! In the end, I spend $71 and think I got an awful lot of stuff for that price! So much fun!!!

Cricut Circle Blog Monthly Challenge: Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle!

2011-04-06T22:23:00.002-04:00

This is my first Monthly Challenge through the Cricut Circle Blog! In this challenge, you must recycle, reuse or repurpose 3 items on your project. I decided to enter my party decorations that I made for my daughter's birthday (today is her 5th birthday). My daughter LOVES Spongebob Squarepants so we went with the Spongebob theme and made these decorations. For each of these characters, I used the Spongebob Squarepants cartridge and printed and cut the layers with my Cricut Imagine. I repurposed a few things around the house to create these decorations: the flower pots, BBQ skewers, and the shredded paper in the pots is reused from Easter baskets! They were a lot of fun to make and a hit at the family party we had this evening, but I think they will be even more of a hit when we have the kid's party this weekend!

Spongebob Squarepants Character Cuts with Cricut Imagine

2011-04-05T23:12:00.001-04:00

Tonight, my mom came over to help me assemble these Spongebob Squarepants characters! I cut each of them with my Imagine and used RGB codes to get the exact colours of each character. I love how much easier this is than searching through all my scrap papers to find similar colours! I love the way these turned out! I will be using them for decorations for my daughter's birthday party. They will likely all go into a birthday centrepiece, so I will post again with the completed project once finished.

Great Clearance Deals at Stampin' Up & Spring Catalogue Sneak Peak!

2011-04-03T15:32:00.002-04:00

Who doesn't love a bargain?! Right now, you can scoop up the ultimate bargain with Stampin' Up's Grab Bags. There are three types of grab bags to choose from:

$6.00 grab bag - contains at least $24.00 worth of discontinued products
$12.00 grab bag - contains at least $48.00 worth of discontinued products
$18.00 grab bag - contains at least $72.00 worth of discontinued products

Grab bags contain any combination of products such as the following: ribbons, Accents & Elements, chipboard, Designer Series Paper, or Simply Sent kit components. Grab bags do not contain stamp sets or tools. All grab bag sales are final. No refunds or exchanges.

There are also plenty of other deals in the 'Clearance Rack' section at the moment. Please visit my Stampin' Up website to get great products at amazing prices, but only while supplies last! The clearance items are available online only.

Spring is blossoming at Stampin' Up! Here's a sneak peak at two brand-new products from the upcoming 2011-12 Idea Book & Catalogue:

My New Cricut Imagine Cartridges

2011-04-02T21:15:00.000-04:00

Today, I made a trip to Michael's to check out the sale items. Right now, cartridges are on for $44.99 and if you buy two, you get a mail in rebate for a third cartridge. I still think it's a bit pricey for cartridges, compared to most I buy in the states, but I thought I would go for it since I can mail away for a freebie. When I went to Michael's, I was happy to find that the Imagine cartridges were included in the sale! I picked up two that I really wanted - Nursery Tails and Best Friends. Aren't the images just too cute?! I can't wait to try them out!!

Nursery Tails

Best Friends

Good Times - Cricut Imagine Layout

2011-03-31T23:43:00.000-04:00

I was hoping to get this layout done in time to enter into the weekly Circle challenge, but that did not happen! I had a bit of trouble cutting with my Imagine tonight, so I spent a bit more time scrapbooking than I had planned. This was the first time I tried to print my own paper and that went really well. I don't think I will do this too often, just because I don't want to use that much ink, but I really liked this background paper so I thought I'd try it. The background paper, title, flag banner and tag were all from the Imagine More cartridge. The brad on the tag is from Stampin' Up.

Stampin' Up Sale-A-Bration - Final Day!

2011-03-31T21:31:00.000-04:00

Well, I am back in the scrapbooking/stamping biz! I decided to become a Stampin' Up Demonstrator! I've always loved Stampin' Ups products and it was the right time to join with the Sale-a-bration promotion going on.

If anyone is interested in becoming a demonstrator, today is the last day for the promo! New demonstrators receive 15% off the starter kit (standard or digital+), plus a special Sale-A-Bration bonus bundle valued up to $60!

There are also great deals for customers! You will receive a free Sale-A-Bration product for every $60 you spend (before tax and shipping).

For more information, please visit my Stampin' Up website.

Also, I am very excited to announce that I am back in the Cricut Circle! I had been a member when it first started, but my membership expired and I didn't renew until yesterday. This time I signed up for the year. There have been a lot of improvements with the Circle since it started. There is now an awesome blog with lots of ideas, contests and challenges, the Cricut Circle magazine has really improved and is packed with ideas, and the message board is just awesome! Plus, I'm really looking forward to receiving the Circle cartridges again. :)

New Pics of Scrapbook Room

2011-03-20T23:06:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd post some pictures of my scrapbook room since I've moved things around a bit. :)

Cricut cutting area

main workspace

Making Memories Embellishment Center

punch storage racks

Cricut cartridge storage (underneath are Stickles stored on tool racks)

Idea books and magazines

more storage in the island (mostly alphabets, stickers, chipboard, ribbon in here)

This is where I store completed layouts that haven't made it into an album yet and various Cricut cuts, finished cards, etc.

Cricut Imagine - Yummy cuts

2011-03-20T22:44:00.000-04:00

Have I mentioned yet how much I love my Imagine?! I've been experimenting more with the Imagine today and I tried setting RGB codes to get specific colours. I'm going to try this for the Spongebob Squarepants characters that I'll be cutting for my daughter's birthday party decorations. It is actually a lot easier to do than I thought!

I also made some cuts from the Yummy cartridge today. The images on here are so 'sweet'! The cartridge is full of cupcakes, cakes, ice cream, lollipops and other sweet treats along with some titles. I'm part of the Canadian Cricut Train, where we basically swap Cricut cuts, so that's what I'll be doing with these ones.

I Heart Soccer - Soccer Layouts with Sports Mania

2011-03-20T12:21:00.001-04:00

Last summer, my daughter Paige started soccer and I finally printed off some pictures and completed some soccer layouts! I thought it would be a good idea to get these done before soccer starts again this year! For all of these pages, I used paper from a Creative Memories soccer kit and I also used some clear soccer-themed stickers from Creative Memories and titles from the Sports Mania Cricut cartridge. I also used the star punch from Creative Memories.

'Owl Grown Up' - first Cricut Imagine layout

2011-03-18T23:50:00.000-04:00

I finally received my replacement Cricut Imagine today, so I had to try it out right away! I did a couple practice cuts, then I created this layout using the Imagine More cartridge. The title, owl and border were all made with the Imagine and the background patterned paper is from My Mind's Eye.

Belated Christmas Layouts

2011-03-13T22:13:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure if anyone really wants to see Christmas layouts in the middle of March, but I'm going to post them anyway! Here are a couple pages I completed recently, but the photos are from two Christmas' ago. I've been trying to get caught up with my scrapbooking lately, but I've fallen a bit behind and a lot of my photos are still on the computer just waiting to be printed! These pages were made with kits from Out On a Limb Scrapbooking.

Cricut Swarm at Sea Scrapbooking Cruise

2011-03-13T12:06:00.001-04:00

Scrap at Sea is now an official Cricut Swarm! Join fellow Cricut and scrapbooking enthusiasts on this amazing 7 day Southern Caribbean cruise aboard the beautiful Crown Princess, the crown jewel of Princess Cruise Lines!

Itinerary:

Day 1        Ft. Lauderdale, Florida              Depart 5:00 PM
Day 2        Princess Cays, Bahamas            9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Day 3        At Sea
Day 4        Curacao, Netherlands Antilles   1:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Day 5        Aruba                                       8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Day 6        At Sea
Day 7        At Sea
Day 8        Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Arrival   7:00 AM

Crop Schedule
Crops are scheduled for each day at sea during the following times:

Day 3 - 9:00 am - 1:00 pm & 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Day 6    2:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Day 7    9:00 am - 1:00 pm

All crops include use of Cricut Expression, 70+ Cricut cartridges, Cuttlebug and other scrapbooking tools so you can keep your packing light!

This cruise also includes all meals, 24 hour room service, entertainment and a variety of shipboard activites.
Be sure to book early as space is limited!

Visit http://www.scrapatsea.com/ for more information or contact me at ckoch@cruiseshipcenters.com or 519-673-9705.

Disney Cruise Layout

2011-03-08T21:43:00.000-05:00

Here's the first page of my Disney cruise album (and the only page I've scrapbooked of this trip so far)! We had a photo taken of all of us with Goofy just before we embarked on the ship. This was such a fun trip! We traveled with my husband's cousin and her family, and another cousin that lives out west that we don't get to see very often, so we all had such a great time together!
The Disney cruise paper came from the ship itself. My daughter and I attended the scrapbooking workshop on board and we each got a couple sheets of Disney cruise-themed paper. The Goofy hat is a cut from the Mickey & Friends Cricut cartridge.

**I'm hosting a scrapbooking cruise February 4-11, 2012. Visit www.scrapatsea.com for details.**

Scrapbooking Cruise

2011-01-23T16:49:00.001-05:00

I have been busy planning a scrapbooking cruise for Feb. 4-11, 2012. It's going to be so much fun! We will be visiting Aruba, Curacao and the Bahamas and will have three fabulous days at sea as well! This will also be an opportunity to get caught up with your scrapbooking as we'll have lots of crop time! I'll be brining along my Cricut Expression and lots of cartridges, so you won't need to pack your own!
For more information, please visit my website, www.scrapatsea.com.

Scrap At Sea 2012

2010-11-08T22:56:00.000-05:00

I have started planning for the scrapbooking cruise I'm hosting on Feb.4-11, 2012. Originally, I was going to plan an Eastern Caribbean itinerary, but am now going with a nice Southern Caribbean itinerary since it offers three days at sea and you can also visit some amazing ports - Aruba, Curacao and Princess Cays, Bahamas.
For anyone that's interested in more information, please visit my new website, www.scrapatsea.com. It's going to be so much fun!

Join me for a Scrapbooking Cruise - February 2012

2010-10-31T12:22:00.000-04:00

I am arranging a scrapbooking cruise for February 2012. I know it seems quite far off, but it requires quite a bit of planning and it will also give everyone who's interested in going lots of time to save. It will be a 7 day cruise out of Fort Lauderdale with at least 2 days at sea for some crop time. The cruise line will be Princess. If you are interested, please e-mail me at ckoch@cruiseshipcenters.com and I will send you more information such as dates, prices, etc. once I have more details.
Non-scrapbookers will also be welcome, for those of you that would like to bring a spouse, family members or friends. There will be plenty to do for both scrapbookers and non-scrapbookers and we will be visiting some amazing ports of call as well!

Cuba Vacation Layouts

2010-10-30T18:40:00.000-04:00

Here's some layouts I've made recently of our trip to Cuba last January.

Wedding Album

2010-10-26T04:22:00.000-04:00

Wow! It has been a long time since I've posted on my blog! This doesn't mean I haven't been doing anything crafty though! I have completed two wedding albums for friends that got married this month. Here are some photos from the first one I completed. I completed this whole album during a 12 hour crop that my neighbour hosted!

You are Invited to Join the Cricut Circle!

2010-09-03T10:26:00.001-04:00

Are you interested in joining the Cricut Circle? I have been a member for a couple months now and I'm really enjoying it! As part of membership, you will receive exclusive Cricut cartridges (4 times a year with the yearly membership). The new Cricut Cricle messageboard is also great... so much faster than the original Cricut messageboard! One of the best parts of being a members is socializing with all of the other members! There are also Cricut Circle swarms that you can participate in. You will also be first to hear about the latest products. Plus, there are lots of Cricut Circle contests! There is also a great monthly e-magazine full of wonderful project ideas!
If you would like to join, please let me know, and I will e-mail you the invitation. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me at ascrapbooknook@rogers.com.
This invitation is only available until September 13, so please e-mail me right away if you'd like to join!

Images from French Manor, the first exclusive full cartridge for Cricut Circle members

'Play' Layout from our Cuba Trip

2010-08-22T22:07:00.000-04:00

Here's a layout I made tonight of the kids playing at the Kid's Club at the Sirenas La Salina Resort in Varadero, Cuba. I think the Kid's Club was one of their very favourite parts of our trip!

For this layout, I used all TLC products. I wish TLC was still around... I loved their scrapbooking products.

Cars Room Wall Decor

2010-08-19T13:33:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, my husband and I took on the project of redecorating my son's room. Our little guy is 2 1/2 now, so we thought it was time to change his room from the nursery to a big boy's room! I bought him a Cars bed on Saturday, so Saturday afternoon we decided to start the room and we had it all done by Sunday! I just wanted to share a picture of the wall art I made for his room. I used the Cars Cricut cartridge to create these two wall hangings.

Oh, and he loves his new room! :)

Cruise Contest

2010-08-17T14:12:00.000-04:00

This is a little off topic for my scrapbooking/crafting blog, but I just wanted to share an awesome contest that is going on right now through Expedia CruiseShipCenters. We are giving away 25 cruises to the Bahamas aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines!
Each prize consists of one interior cabin (for two people) onboard a Norwegian 4-day cruise to the beautiful Bahamas!
To enter, please visit my website and fill out the online ballot: www.cruiseshipcenters.ca/christinakoch

Good luck to everyone who enters!

Family Vacation/Pool Layout

2010-08-06T23:54:00.000-04:00

Here's a two-page layout I did tonight of the kids by the pool on our vacation to Varadero, Cuba. The kids were both wearing wetsuits with floatable padding in them and they looked hilarious! It looked like they were both really muscular!! After we got them all ready in their wetsuits, we headed to the pool and the water was way too cold to go swimming!

I used my new Summer Vacation Cricut cartridge to cut 'Family Vacation'. I used a lot of glittery DCWV cardstock on this layout and the patterned paper had a lot of bling too! The palm trees were a dollar store find.

My First Cricut Cake!

2010-07-29T23:25:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures of my first cake decorated with my Cricut Cake! I experimented with some cupcakes last weekend and today I thought I'd do a cake for my mom's birthday. I used Wilton fondant for the shapes and the cake is covered in a buttercream icing. I'm thinking next time I'll try covering the cake in fondant. The cartridge I used to cut the flowers was Elegant Cakes.

Stamping Bella Birthday Card

2010-07-27T22:15:00.000-04:00

Here's a birthday card I made today using a Stamping Bella stamp, 'giftabella.' I coloured the image with Copic markers.
When I got home from work tonight, the kids wanted to go to the 'craft room' to do some crafts, so while they made some paper towel roll creations, I made a card! :)

Cricut Cake - Cupcakes

2010-07-25T17:17:00.000-04:00

My Cricut Cake arrived late last week and I finally had a chance to play with it today! I made some simple cupcakes with chocolate icing and tried cutting both gum paste and fondant. I found the gum paste was quite hard to work with, but the cuts turned out a lot nicer. I mixed a bit of pink colouring with the Wilton gum paste and it was really hard to get it all a uniform colour, but it turned a pretty shade of pink after a lot of kneading! The pink butterflies were made with the gum paste. The green flowers were made with Wilton fondant. This was so much softer and easier to work with, but the cuts didn't turn out as great. It was fun experimenting though!

Scrapbooking Garage Sale Finds

2010-07-24T19:55:00.000-04:00

I found some great deals at my local scrapbook store's garage sale! Check out some of my great buys:

Scrapbooking Idea Books

Tons of paper, kits, primas, Martha Stewart Owl punch, Cuttlebug embossing folders/dies

I always have so much fun at scrapbooking sales and you never know what kind of items you will find! Some of my best buys were new idea books for $6-7 and the Martha Stewart owl punch for $5!

I also used my Cricut today to help make a 'crazy hat' for camp for my daughter. The camp is a jungle theme so I cut some leaves from the Dinosaur Tracks cartridge and the monkey is actually from some children's playing cards that we use for crafts. I think it turned out pretty cute!

Paige modeling her jungle-themed 'crazy hat'!

Cricut Cake On Its Way!

2010-07-14T21:20:00.001-04:00

So.... I finally ordered the Cricut Cake yesterday! I have been thinking about purchasing one for a long time, but wasn't sure, but the more I look at all the creations you can make with it, the more I wanted one, and now one is on its way! I ordered the bundle through the Shopping Channel which comes with the cartridges Cake Basics and Elegant Cakes and some other bonuses including three packages of Wilton fondant. I'm so excited for it to arrive!

Today, there was more exciting announced about the Cricut Cake. There is a new Martha Stewart edition coming out, but it looks like it will just be available through the Home Shopping Network. I'm not so interested in the machine (it's white, so I think it looks more like the Cricut Expression), but the new Martha Stewart cartridges look awesome! Here are some pictures (posted on Cricut Cake Facebook site) of cakes, cookies and cupcakes that were created with the new cartridges. Don't they look amazing?!

Tropical Beach Layout

2010-07-09T23:20:00.000-04:00

Here is a quick beach layout I did tonight. These pictures were from our family trip to Varadero, Cuba, this past January. I've been trying to use up some older scrapbooking supplies, and this layout was made with a TLC kit that I've had for quite a while.

New Slideshow of My Scrapbook Room ~ My Happy Place!!

2010-07-09T22:03:00.001-04:00

I finally updated the slideshow of my scrapbook room tonight! On the previous slideshow I had at the bottom of my blog, I still had older pictures of my scrap room, before we had the flood (water heater burst). My room looks pretty much the same, but the floor is slightly different now and I've done a lot more organizing. So, here it is:

Your Next Stamp Design Team Call

2010-07-09T19:36:00.001-04:00

Your Next Stamp (YNS) is having a Design Team call and I've decided to try out! If you haven't seen YNS before, you have to check them out! Their whimsical stamp designs are just adorable!
I am submitting a few of my favourite creations to try out for the design team. I enjoy all types of paper crafting, especially scrapbooking, cardmaking and altering items (especially paint cans). So, here are a few of my favourites!

Butterfly altered paint can

Beach/Summer Card

Rainbow altered paint can (front)

Rainbow altered paint can (back)

Be sure to check out Your Next Stamp at www.yournextstamp.com.

Bridal Scavenger Hunt in London, ON Area

2010-07-04T07:55:00.000-04:00

Join the Bridal Scavenger Hunt! If you are a bride to be in the London, ON area this is your chance to see what some of your local wedding vendors have to offer, shop for your wedding and win some great prizes! The Bridal Scavenger Hunt runs from July 2 to July 31st.

Download a Passport Here: http://sherrylynnsimoes.com/bridal.htm

Digital Scrapbook - Cruise Vacation

2010-06-25T23:00:00.000-04:00

Wow, it has been a long time since I've posted on my blog! Things have just been so busy with work, the travel business, and family activities that I have been neglecting my blog. I guess I really haven't had a whole lot to post lately too because I'm really behind in my scrapbooking, Project Life, and pretty much all craft projects! There just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day for everything I'd like to do! It doesn't help that the weather has been beautiful lately, so it seems a shame to stay inside when it's so nice out. :)
Here is one project that I just finished though. It is a digital album made through Panraven. I actually purchased the digital album when we were on our cruise back in April, and just finished it up a few days ago, so now I'm just waiting to get the hard copy back that I've ordered. Here is a link to the online version of the album: http://www.panraven.com/newstoryviewer/NewStoryViewer.html?storyId=163320

Mother's Day Altered Paint Cans

2010-04-14T23:17:00.000-04:00

I feel like all I've been making lately is paint cans! I love making them though! Tonight I made two simple Mother's Day cans for a silent auction at our church. I'm a big time procrastinator, so I had to rush to get these done tonight to get them in on time. If I had more time, I probably would have got a bit fancier, and maybe put a bunch of ribbon around the handle of each can. I got these clear paint cans from Michael's. I really like the way they look, although I like the traditional metal paint cans as well. I used patterned paper from the DCWV Spring Blossoms pack on each can, and the Cricut cuts were from the Mother's Day cartridge. I filled both cans with products from Bath & Body Works, so I think they will make some nice Mother's Day gifts for whoever wins the bids on the cans. :)

Just For You Paint Can Swap - Butterfly Can

2010-04-05T22:14:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter!! I hope everyone has had a wonderful Easter weekend spent with family and friends!

Here is the paint can I made for my partner, scrappinchic, for the Just For You Paint Can Swap that my partner hosted on the Cricut mb. She had a great idea to host a swap with goodies that your partner would really like so we really got to know each other in this swap so we could find items that our partner would really love! I won't post pictures of the goodies since my partner hasn't received her paint can yet. For now, I'll just post the can itself! I decorated the paint can with a butterfly theme, as my partner is a huge butterfly fan!

Altered Paint Can for Easter Swap

2010-03-23T11:03:00.000-04:00

Here is the paint can I made for my partner Arlene in the Cricut message board Easter Paint Can Swap that I hosted. The funny thing is that Arlene and I both decorated the cans very similar! You will see in my last blog post the can that she made for me. I think it's hilarious that we both used the exact same Cricut cuts to decorate our cans!

Easter Paint Can Swap

2010-03-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

Here is the awesome paint can I received from my partner, Arlene in the Cricut Easter Paint Can Swap that I hosted. I think Arlene and I have the same taste because I decorated her paint can quite similar!! I love it! This paint can is so beautiful! I love the chocolate bunny and the Happy Easter lettering and the beautiful patterned paper and ribbons she used.

It was also full of awesome goodies such as some Cuttlebug embossing folders, my favourite adhesive, stickles, some adorable princess brads, Thickers and more! Thank you so much Arlene! What a fun swap! I hope Arlene likes the paint can I made her as much as I like the one she made me!

New Cruise & Travel Blog

2010-03-18T22:14:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! I have started a new travel blog! I plan on posting about trips we've been on, upcoming trips, travel tips, etc. I just started it a few days ago, so there aren't too many posts yet, but I will try to keep it up to date. So, if you're interested in travel, please check out my new blog at http://cruiseandtravelgirl.blogspot.com. Thanks! :)

Dinosaur Tracks

2010-03-14T21:56:00.001-04:00

Wow!! Am I ever behind in posting! I just noticed that I haven't posted anything on my blog in close to a month. This also reflects on the fact that I'm also behind in my scrapbooking and Project Life. I just finished a Project Life layout last night, but I'm still behind a couple weeks and am hoping to get caught up soon!

It has been a busy weekend! Today, I went across the border to Port Huron in search of the Dinosaur Tracks Cricut cartridge. I couldn't find it at my local scrapbook stores, so thought I would try the states. Another Cricut mb member suggested Meijers and sure enough, that's where I got it! I was so happy because it was the last one on the shelf and it was $59 which I think is a pretty good price, considering Cricut carts are on sale at my local Michaels store for $69 right now! I'm going to have to shop in the states more often!

I was so excited to get this cart because my daughter, Paige would like to have a dinosaur-themed birthday party so I thought this would be great for making party decorations. I think I will also be making birthday invitations using the card feature of this cartridge. I can't wait to try it out!

Project Life: Week Six

2010-02-15T21:56:00.001-05:00

Here are my week 6 layouts.

Project Life: Week Five & Kid's Crafts

2010-02-07T21:14:00.000-05:00

Project Life: Week Five - left side of layout

Project Life: Week Five - right side of layout

Paige working on a valentine for me!

Today, while Ben was having a long nap, Paige and I did some crafts. I think we spent about two hours crafting! It's so nice to have a daughter that enjoys arts & crafts. I think she is a future scrapbooker! Above, are some pics of today's projects. Paige is very proud of this dinosaur 3D picture that is made from foam. We also made a bunch of stick puppets and Paige made me a valentine (she's holding it up in the first picture). She told me that she wanted to put lots of hearts on it because she loves me so much! :)

I also completed my week five layouts for Project Life. I'm really enjoying this project! It's very easy to keep up with. I print my photos out once a week and then it only takes about 15 minutes to put them in the album and write a bit of journaling for each photo. It's actually much easier to keep up with than I thought it would be.

'Sweet Thing' Girly layout

2010-02-06T22:05:00.001-05:00

I finally got to do some scrapbooking tonight! Too often, I'm just too exhausted to do much at night, but tonight I was in the mood to scrapbook so I got to work and completed a two page layout. This layout was from a kit from Out On A Limb Scrapbooking. I changed it up a bit though since my photos were different sizes and I usually like to change at least a little bit if I'm using a kit. I got a little stickle happy on this layout so it has quite a bit of bling!!

More Scrapbook Room Pics

2010-02-01T21:59:00.001-05:00

Here are some pics of how I've organized my scrapbooking supplies. Not everything is organized though... some of the drawers are kind of messy! Above is my island - main workspace & embellishment storage.

Cricut cartridge storage cabinet

Scrapbook albums

Idea books and magazines

Various stamps

Cuttlebug embossing folders and dies

Cricut mats and supplies

Scrapbook page kits

More stamps

various punches

Stickers

Chipboard

Paper stacks

My messy scrap paper drawer

Cardstock (I need a better way to organize my cardstock and paper)

Patterned paper

Finished layouts, cards, etc.

Paper cutters, etc.

New Scrapbook Room Pics

2010-01-31T23:49:00.001-05:00

My new Making Memories Embellishment Centre

Punch storage, rods from Ikea

My new Coke fridge!

My scrapbook room

There have been a few changes to my scrapbook room, so I thought I'd take some new pics! My husband gave me a Making Memories Embellishment Centre for Christmas, and we finally put it up tonight. I love it!

I also added some rods from Ikea to store some of my punches on. I saw that quite a few people on the Cricut mb store punches this way, and I really liked the idea so I picked up a few rods for my own punches.

The Coke fridge is a brand new edition that came from friends of ours. They were selling it because they didn't have a use for it and I thought it would be the perfect addition to my scrap room! Now I won't have to run upstairs for a drink when I'm all absorbed in my scrapbooking! LOL!!

Project Life: Week Four

2010-01-31T23:44:00.000-05:00

Here are my week four layouts. The highlight of this week was finally being able to celebrate my son Ben's second birthday! His birthday was actually a couple weeks ago, but we had to reschedule his party a couple of times because of us all ending up with a bad cold. It was great to finally celebrate with family yesterday!

And The Winner Is....

2010-01-31T20:59:00.001-05:00

SweetSassyDiva!! Congrats!! I hope you really enjoy the soccer cartridge! Thank you to everyone who entered! SweetSassyDiva, I just need to get your address, and then your new cartridge will be on its way!

Blog Candy Reminder - Winner Will Be Picked Tomorrow!

2010-01-30T20:30:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! Just a reminder that I will be giving away the Cricut Solutions Soccer cartridge tomorrow evening (7:00 pm EST). If you haven't already entered, all you have to do is become a follower of my blog (if you aren't already) and post a comment under my last blog posting. Good luck to everyone and I hope you're all having a great weekend!

Blog Candy! I'm giving away Cricut Solutions - Soccer

2010-01-25T22:39:00.000-05:00

I ended up with an extra Cricut Solutions Soccer cartridge, so I am giving it away!! This is a great cartridge for all you soccer moms! My daughter will be staring soccer this spring so I know I will be getting a lot of use out of this cartridge as well. The cartridge I'm giving away is brand new, still in the package. Here's how to enter to win:

Sign up to follow my blog
Leave a comment on this post saying why you would like to win the Soccer cartridge (if you are already following my blog, simply leave a comment)

That's it! I will be randomly selecting a winner on Sunday, January 31 at 7:00 pm EST.

Good luck to you all!

Project Life: Week Three

2010-01-24T22:09:00.000-05:00

I just completed my week three layouts this evening. This week I've discovered that it is quite easy to forget to take a picture on a day or two! I also took a few more 'object' pics this week, rather than all 'people' pics!

Project Life: Week Two

2010-01-16T22:07:00.000-05:00

I am loving Project Life! I know it's only the second week into this project, but I'm enjoying it and it seems like it will be quite easy to keep on top of it and not get behind. I am pretty much sticking to the kit when it comes to putting my layouts together. I will save my creativity for when I work on traditional scrapbook layouts and other craft projects! This way, it is so quick to complete each layout and I like the way they've turned out so far.

Project Life: Week One

2010-01-14T22:55:00.000-05:00

Well, my Project Life kit arrived yesterday and I couldn't wait to start so I got my Week One layouts finished yesterday! First of all, here is my title page:

Here are the two pages I completed for Week One:

I think this is going to be a great way to keep up with my photos and get them off my computer and into an album!!

Setting up Project Life Album

2010-01-13T14:29:00.000-05:00

For those who are starting Project Life, I just wanted to share a link to a video that Tammy Morales of Scrapbooker's Inner Circle created. She demonstrates how to get started setting up your album which is very helpful when you first receive your kit and wonder where to start. Click here to check out her video.
If you'd like more information about Project Life, visit Becky Higgin's Project Life website. I just received my Project Life kit today and can't wait to get started! I'm going to set up my album in a Sunday - Saturday format, starting with January 3rd. I'll post some pics once I get started.

Back from Cuba!

2010-01-13T10:02:00.000-05:00

We just returned from Cuba on Monday! It wasn't exactly the most relaxing vacation ever.... we brought our kids (3 year old daughter and son who turns 2 tomorrow!) so it was busy! The weather was also not very good. We did have some nice, sunny days, but the last couple days were so cold... I think it was close to freezing! Also, my daughter, husband and I all got sick with a very nasty cold, in fact I'm still of work sick today. Still, we have some good memories and I have some great pictures to scrapbook!!

Snow, Snow & More Snow... time to head south!!!

2010-01-03T15:04:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple pics of what our backyard looks like right now! I haven't seen this much snow in years! We got tons of snow yesterday, but even more today and it's still not stopping! Some of the snow drifts are as high as my waist!
I love the snow, but this is a lot and not so nice for driving. Tomorrow, we are heading off to Cuba! I'm looking forward to the sun and warmer weather! I guess we chose the perfect time to go on vacation! I just hope that there aren't flight delays with all this snow and that the drive to the airport is ok tomorrow. This will be our first big vacation with our kids (and their first plane ride) so we are really looking forward to it! Plus, it will be nice to get away from all this snow! :)

Glitter Ornaments

2010-01-03T08:59:00.000-05:00

Here are the glitter ornaments that I made for Christmas presents. I first heard about making these ornaments on the Cricut message board and found various instructional videos on different blogs. They are very easy to make. The biggest problem I had was trying to find clear glass ornaments right before Christmas. Michael's is the only store in my area that even carries them and they were sold out of the round ornaments so I ended up getting these pretty shaped ones and they worked out fine. To make these, you just swish some floor cleaner (I used Pledge Future Shine which I found at Walmart), remove the excess, then you use a generous amount of glitter (I used Martha Stewart's fine glitter) and shake it throughout the ornament until it is fully covered. You can also remove any excess glitter. That's it! You can also decorate with rub-ons, stickers or Cricut vinyl shapes, letters, etc. but I kept mine pretty plain and just added some ribbon to each. They were easy and fun to make and they were great for gifts!

Happy New Year!! 2010 Calendar

2010-01-01T09:30:00.000-05:00

It has started to become a tradition that each year I make a calendar for both my parents and my in-laws for Christmas with pics of their grandchildren. The first year I made one, I created a digital calendar, but for the last couple of years I've made a 'traditional scrapbooked' calendar from a kit. This year, I made calendars from kits by MME. They were fun to make, but I am a procrastinator, so I ended up making one of them on Christmas Eve and was a little stressed! Anyway, I got them both finished and the grandparents loved them!

'Free Spirit' Layout

2009-12-30T23:15:00.000-05:00

It has been a long time since I actually worked on any scrapbook layouts! Lately, I have been working on Christmas presents and other craft projects so it was nice to get some of my own scrapbooking done! The pictures were taken back in June at cottage along Lake Huron. The layout is a design from Out On A Limb Scrapbooking. I just placed my first order with them a couple weeks ago and my page kits arrived a few days ago, so I was anxious to try them out! Their designs are just adorable!

Christmas Gift Bags & Birthday Card

2009-12-17T23:03:00.000-05:00

I actually got some time in my scrapbook room tonight and worked on a few things! I made a couple little Christmas gift bags to put hot chocolate in. These are gifts for Paige's nursery school teachers. The adorable ornaments are from Hallmark. The gift tags were made by my friend Chantal and were made with a Stampin' Up ornament punch and stamps. The paper I used for the gift bags is from a DCWV Christmas stack. The bags themselves were made using the Plantin Schoolbook Cricut cartridge.
The birthday card is for my aunt and the stamped images are from CC Designs. I coloured the main image with Copic markers. The patterned cherry papers are from Stampin' Up.

Christmas Exchange

2009-12-12T23:48:00.000-05:00

I just received an awesome package in the mail from my friend Chantal, and I had to share! Chantal had a great idea to have a Christmas swap, as she is a Stampin' Up consultant, and I am a Close To My Heart consultant, so we each gave each other a wish list of products we would like and then put packages together for each other to swap before Christmas. As you can see from the pictures, I received some awesome SU products, plus Chantal also sent me a ton of beautiful handmade goodies such as cards, tags, treats and more! Thank you so much Chantal!!

Christmas Paint Can Swap

2009-12-10T21:46:00.000-05:00

Here is the wonderful paint can I received from my partner, Rachel (badger42) on the Cricut message board! I love how she pieced tiny pieces of paper together to give the paint can a patchwork look. The can was also filled with lots of awesome goodies! Thank you Rachel!!

Twilight Paint Can Swap

2009-12-08T21:40:00.000-05:00

Here is the beautiful can I received in the Twilight Paint Can Swap from my partner, DonnaSchnees. I love it!! Donna did an amazing job decorating this paint can and the can was also full of awesome goodies, as you can see from the photos!
Thank you so much Donna!

Twilight Paint Can Swap

2009-12-03T21:53:00.000-05:00

Here is the paint can I created for the Twilight Paint Can Swap that I hosted on the Cricut message board. This is also the first project that I used my Gypsy for! I designed 'Twilight' with the apple image using the Gypsy, as well as each name: Edward, Bella and Jacob. For each, I used the Gypsy font. All patterned paper was from Close To My Heart. I filled this can with all sorts of Twilight goodies, scrapbooking supplies, and I gave my partner, Donna the book New Moon and I'm happy to report that she loved the can!

New Travel Blog!

2009-11-26T14:06:00.000-05:00

I have decided to start a new travel blog! For anyone who loves to travel, please check out my new blog at http://csc-strathroy.blogspot.com. I will be keeping this blog up to date with promotions and sales from Expedia CruiseShipCenters, major cruise lines and tour operators, plus fun travel-related information, photos and videos. Thanks for checking it out!

Christmas Altered Paint Can

2009-11-20T23:50:00.000-05:00

Here is the Christmas paint can I made for a recent swap I hosted on the Cricut mb. I love this paper! It's not traditional Christmas colours at all but I think it still looks really festive. The paper was from a DCWV Christmas stack. The snowflakes are foam stickers that I found at Walmart and I thought they were really cute!

Becky Higgins - Project Life

2009-11-15T01:10:00.000-05:00

Things have been very busy around here lately so it has been a long time since I updated my blog. I've been feeling a bit under the weather with a cold and the kids both have chicken pox! Luckily, they both just have a mild case since they were both vaccinated. I've also been quite busy with my new travel business and there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day for everything!

Anyway, I am pretty excited because I just ordered Project Life by Becky Higgins! I have heard a bit before about her Project 365, where you take a picture each day of the year and scrapbook it, but this is the first time I am going to attempt this. It's actually easier than scrapbooking a whole page a day... basically you can still take a pic a day and journal about your pic, but you don't have to complete a whole scrapbook page. The page protectors are divided up with room for your pics, journaling cards, and title cards. It looks like a pretty neat system and I'm hoping this way I will be able to keep up with my photos a bit more. I am really behind with scrapbooking at the moment so this will hopefully be an easier way to actually get my photos into an album! Then, when I have the time, I can add 12x12 pages in the album as well.

If you are interested in finding more about Project Life, visit Becky Higgins' website.

Lillith Card

2009-10-28T22:46:00.000-04:00

This is my first card that I made using Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps. I just love this new stamp line! This card features one of my favourite images, Lillith, who just has the best expression on her face. I coloured the image with Copic markers. The patterned paper is from the Basic Grey Indian Summer line and the buttons are from Fancy Pants. The card design is from the latest sketch on Friday Sketchers.

I am entering this card in two challenges: Kraftin' Kimmies blog and the Friday Sketchers blog.

World Vision's Gift Catalogue Campaign

2009-10-26T15:50:00.000-04:00

I am fundraising for World Vision's Gift Catalogue Campaign. Give back this Christmas and donate a meaningful gift to impovershed children around the world. Please visit my donation website to pick a gift to donate. There are many gifts to choose from including goats, chickens, clothing, immunizations, and clean water for families living in third world countries, and many more meaningful gifts! Together we can make a difference!!

Halloween Altered Paint Can

2009-10-22T22:19:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple pics of the Halloween can I made for my partner, Shalin in the Cricut mb Halloween paint can swap that I hosted. The Halloween cuts were from the cartridge A Child's Year (love this cart!)

Halloween Paint Can Swap

2009-10-20T22:04:00.000-04:00

Here is the Halloween paint can I received in the Halloween paint can swap that I'm hosting on the Cricut mb. My partner, Shalin, did a great job decorating this can and filled it with a bunch of awesome scrapbooking goodies and some candy treats too! There was also a Halloween bat Pez, but I gave it to Paige right away because she just loves Pez!

Thanks Shalin!!