A go at Digital Scrapbooking

My first time digital scrapbooking, and it was fun!  I  made these layouts with the idea to embellish them further once printed.  I love how if I misplace something it isn't a problem to just pick it up and move it.  And less cleanup too. ;-)

Altered wood block

My friend Jen invited me along for a free altered wood block workshop by the fabulous Debby Visser.  (Thanks again Jen!)  I'm so thrilled with how it turned out, it's so cute!

Hey good lookin' - some plays in Photoshop

Park photos

After Jake got home today we hung out at the park for an hour.  Thought we'd better enjoy it while the weather is still on the dry side.
 

First day riding solo

And I'm convinced God does have a sense of humour.  This morning I had to deal with a poopy mess of unbelievably massive proportions.  You really have no idea.  I have never seen anything like it.  Ever.  Nathan was promptly put into the bathtub and the disaster took about 1 and a half hours to clean up.  I'm not kidding.  But, I'm still smiling, mostly because I have a good sense of humour too.  Staying positive here.  ;-)

Birthday Card

A birthday card I made... I think it turned out pretty good.  I think I'll be making some more of these to have on hand, I really love the look.  I used "In the Spotlight" - a hostess stamp set from Stampin Up!  I also used some American Crafts patterned paper.  Well, we're off to go shopping for some new work clothes for Jake this afternoon - have a great day!

ETA: I added the Prima flower as an afterthought... it just needed a little something extra. Oh, and we totally scored at the Gap this afternoon.  Jake is going to look very professional for his first day back at work tomorrow. 

Kitchen Renovation

Where did the week go?  I can't believe how busy it's been around here.  Jaco has been really busy putting finishing touches on the kitchen renovation since he'll be heading back to work on the 25th.  Of course minus the 2 days he spent snowmobiling and retrieving a snowmobile  (see previous post).  Baseboards, panels and touch up painting still need to be completed but the majority of the work is finished.  The backsplash went on this week and I'm so pleased with it.  The kitchen is airy and bright, and I just love the contrast between the floor, cabinets, and countertops.  It really came together.  Jaco was skeptical of my idea of a white kitchen at first but now is fully convinced we made the right choice.  He even complimented me on my "eye for design".  Well I can honestly say, I had an "inspiration look" from a home interiors magazine and it turned out better than I ever could have wanted.  Here are a few photos from yesterday, including my new organized pullout drawers for dishes.  I love these interior fittings from IKEA.  Emptying the dishwasher has never been easier, and I just love how everything has a place.
   

Jaco's Snowmobiling Adventure

Jaco was invited along for his very first snowmobiling adventure this past week.  Tuesday morning him and a bunch of guys headed up the Coquihalla to have some fun "playing in the snow".  They left at about 8am Tuesday, and returned about 5pm that evening.  When Jaco came home I heard all about how one snowmobile took a dive down a steep enbankment, and landed in a tree and how it took them 2 hours to get it out.  (See photo below) Looks pretty scary to me.  To top it off, they lost another one a short while after they got the first one out, and because they were tired, cold and it was getting late they had to leave that one up there.  The next day he went back with a couple guys and "rescued" the abandoned snowmobile.  Crazy stuff.  But he had a great time.  Next time maybe I'll get to go along!

ARRRR...Matey!

Lucas is excited about his birthday coming up, and when I showed him this picture of a treasure map cake, he was all over it.  So, we're going with the whole pirate theme for his party.  I'm working on pirate invitations, and we also went to a local dollar store and found some cute pirate stuff.  I want to stay away from the whole skull and crossbones though, that's really not all too appealing to me.  It's amazing, there is actually quite a bit of "cute-sie" pirate stuff out there right now.  (Think Backyardigans Pirate Treasure Adventure).  This "Ahoy Matey" stamp set from Stampin Up! is just the cutest.  I also thought of going to White Spot and getting pirate ships so the kids can paint, or decorate them for a craft.  And of course, buried treasure in the form of chocolate covered coins for party favors.  He's pretty excited, and has been running around the house wearing his new eye patch and bandana saying, "ARRRRR Matey!!"

Scrapbooking my favorite photos

is always so fun.  Ever since I hit the shutter release button on this one I've been wanting to blow it up big and scrapbook it.  I just love how it brings out the sweetness of Nathan and softness in his eyes.  The KI Memories lace cardstock is just awesome.  There are so many possibilities.  I've been dreaming about this color combination and using the lace cardstock for awhile.  It was fun to see it come to reality.  Thanks for looking, and there will be some more blog updates very soon - lots of things happening here, especially as we anticipate Jaco's return to work in 2 weeks! :)

Edged Cardstock using Deco Scissors

Decoratively edged cardstock is really "in" right now in the scrapbooking and cardmaking world.  I came up with a way to incorporate it onto my cards using decorative edged scissors.   I've had my deco-scissors in my scrapbook collection for a long time, I believe they were a Christmas gift back in 2002.  The set I have is from Costco, and comes with 18 pairs of differently shaped shears.  I can honestly say I haven't used them all that much.  Aside from the "scalloped" pair and the "postal" pair, the rest have been nicely sitting in my scrapbook collection since I got them.  Until now!  I'm going to show you a super fun and super easy way to incorporate decorative edges on your cards.

First I took a plain white piece of 80lb cardstock, and penciled in a line as my guide:
Following the pencil line with the edge of my deco-scissors I carefully cut my border: I am left with an 8-1/2 inch long edged strip of cardstock, one-inch wide:
Next, I poked holes in my strip, using a pushpin and paper piercing "Mat Pack" from Stampin Up!:
I then cut the width I needed, and adhered to the front of my card base:
Next I used some ribbon, a stamp from the set "Riveting" by Stampin Up!, and Close To My Heart''s Outdoor Denim inkpad, mounted on green textured cardstock to complete the card:
And the finished product:
Inspiration comes in many forms.  Today's card is brought to you by Nathan's pj's! 

My niece Alyssa

loves the swing at the park!