Tuesday, 18 April 2017

Hello Monday: Stories + Photos | #weekinthelife2017

What is Week in the Life?:// Week In the Life is a project created by Ali Edwards where by you document a snapshot in time. Capturing mundane details of your everyday and perhaps your not so mundane moments.  This is my story and my photos for #weekinthelife2017. To see my #weekinthelife2016 stories and photos you can check out it here: #weekinthelife2016 and #weekinthelife2015

Waking up to a drab and dreary Monday is never a great start to a week.

It's Easter Monday and there's still snow on the ground. But it's the gross kind of snow where the top layer is dirt. All the garbage is now lined up around the bottom of the melted ice. Spring is kind of yucky here. But I promised myself to move more.  So at 6:55am I dragged myself out of bed and took my 9 year old golden retriever around the neighbourhood for a walk.


It was bitter. A balmy 1 degree Celsius. I almost turned around when I started to walk into the cold windy rain.

All that for 2700 steps. Piff.
I'll have to move faster next time.

When I returned into the house I heard the sounds of the Bop It game that my daughter had received for Easter. The two kids would be staying home today and the rest of the week because it's a 'Spring Break' in Newfoundland.  "Some Spring", I shutter. Not to worry though - I asked the Magic 8 Ball yesterday if the snow would be gone by Friday... and well, "sources say yes".

With Jack the Sloth still in bed, I was ready to tackle my work morning by 8am. I had to go to my parents' home office, the bank, a supplier and the local office supplies store right away.  Professional Beauty is one of our suppliers and a Starbucks is right across the street. The line was too long this morning so I popped inside. That was a great call.  Something about the atmosphere in Starbucks gets me every time. I always wonder what those particular people are doing there and what they are studying for. I saw a gorgeous floral water coloured travel mug and fought off the urge to buy it.  However, I came away with a 10 dollar gift card - purchased for no other reason but because I loved the floral pattern with the gold foil planted on it.


With coffee in hand, I made it through my work morning. My plan was to plan. To get myself back on track but like most days, it only took one phone call before I was a whirling dirvish trying to get salon products out the door for a location that hadn't received their monthly supplies.


At lunch time, I told my husband I'd be home at 12.  Soon it was 2 o'clock and I still hadn't eaten or been home.

Every. Time. It happens every time.

I always get caught up with the noise of work. I have to remember to pull away. It's hard though as my parents are semi-retired and in Florida.  I am second generation to own a dozen local hair salons. It's a small company with 120 employees in twelve locations but quite franky, it's a lot of work so sometimes it simply doesn't feel too small.

At home, Nan Woodman's left over Easter turkey dinner was waiting for me.  While I re-heated a carefully selected plate I noticed the Fedex box that had arrived.  It was the new arrivals from the 2017-18 Stampin' Up! catalog. Exciting stuff. Miss Jane torn into that like a wild banshee describing every item as she pulled it from the box.  Yeah. She may not look like me but I can assure you... she's me.


And then the phone rang again as employees were looking for product skus numbers. Forgetting how to do that I face timed my parents for a tutorial and worked until about 7pm at the kitchen table.

Jane and Ryan had gone to a movie, Boss Baby.  However, Jack has made the decision that he doesn't like movies at all. "Too scary", he said. We stayed home and made a pita pizza for supper. When Jane arrived home around 8pm I didn't see her come in.  She went straight into her room. Ryan explained that she was mad because she hadn't gotten a treat or a reward for helping bring salon supplies into a store.... umm.. This is actually not normal for her.  She's usually quite grateful whatever she gets. But I can see my future now as I told her to stay in bed. The "unfair" and "can't understand" comments are coming back to me now.  Yes.  This is my 6 year old teenager coming out. "Oh and by the way mom, your hair is a mess."


Quite right, she is.  My hair was a mess but there was no need to get dolled up when I had a mountain of dishes to clean.  Our dishwasher died and I refused to buy a new one until I know where the money is coming from.  That was 6 weeks ago and I have yet to sit down and look at my budget... maybe this week right?


Jane is asleep now but Jack didn't make it to the toilet. I hear Ryan scrambling to find a towel to help clean up the puddle. I turned on the bath water and scooped him up. There he played until the water went cold.  I sat and editted photos while he plunged each Octonaut toy into the water and placed it carefully along the edge of the bathtub.  


I feel confident that this exact photo happened during my last #weekinthelife during 2016. 
Some things simply never change.

Good night Monday.

To see all my 2017 Week in the Life stories and photos, you can click here to see them together: #witl2017

Monday, 17 April 2017

Just Breathe. | Display Stamping Blog Hop Day Five


It's DAY FIVE on the Display Stamper Blog Hop!
What's that?
Check out DAY ONE to catch up!

These sneak peeks showcase products that are not on the Stampin' Up! website until June 1st so make sure you continue to have your wish list handy.

Need a wish list?




Something about those sweet chairs get me every time.

My grandfather used to make them and I think they have a special place in my heart.

So when I saw that they would be included in a framelit set, I couldn't wait to play. 


This card was the first thing I did.
And then that was the only thing I did until about 48 hours before I was to leave for Toronto.

It continues to be the easiest and my most favourite display sample... and there is to say really is...

"Just Breathe"
"Just Breathe"
"Just Breathe"

It's nice to have that reminder sometimes, isn't it? And I think those chairs do exactly that. They remind us to breathe.

Make sure to check out what Dani has today! I can't wait to see!

Did you come here late?



Are you lost? Did the blog links break? Catch up using the blog links below.

Sunday, 16 April 2017

Lemon Lime is the Star of the Show | Display Stamping Blog Hop Day Four


It's DAY FOUR on the Display Stamper Blog Hop!
What's that?
Check out DAY ONE to catch up!

These sneak peeks showcase products that are not on the Stampin' Up! website until June 1st so make sure you continue to have your wish list handy.

Need a wish list?




Happy Easter my Crafty Friends!

The sun is shining here and that's enough for me to have a glorious day.  

For this card, I've paired a cool stamp from the Stampin' Up! Big Greetings stamp set* along with You've Got This stamp set.  I've colored the flower with melon mambo and blushing bride and the stems are cucumber crush... I am crushed that the cucumber is retiring.

But the star of the show is the new Stampin' Up! In Color Lemon Lime wash on this water coloured card.  How beautiful does it capture this floral? Simply stunning.

*Big Greetings Stamp set to be avilable for sale on June 1st, 2017.


Every pretty card needs an equally pretty envelope so I put my envelope punch board to work.  I also created an envelope insert from the Stampin' Up! Color Theory paper stack and the returning envelope punch board.  I used the score lines as a guide to determine where I wanted to cut.  Then I cut along those lines with my paper trimmer. 

#adttipsandtricks:// Use the envelope punch board to create a co-ordinating envelope liner by using the score lines as a guide.  The score lines will show you where to cut.  Use the punch on the envelope punch board to round the top edge. 



PS. You're Awesome.

Thanks for dropping by today. I hope the sun is shining your way. Keep hopping to see what Dani is up to today!

Did you come here late?




Saturday, 15 April 2017

You Make Me Smile | Display Stamping Blog Hop Day Three


It's DAY THREE on the Display Stamper Blog Hop!
What's that?
Check out DAY ONE to catch up!

These sneak peeks showcase products that are not on the Stampin' Up! website until June 1st so make sure you continue to have your wish list handy.

Need a wish list?




When I got my hands on the new Colorful Seasons stamp set, there was a whole lot of everything going on in there. I typically don't feel overwhelmed with a stamp set... but there was no time for rest. Instead, I focused on the individual stamp sets.

True to my style I took out my aqua painters and got to work. With this particular leaf, I wanted to show the different tones and colors that you can get - as if you were looking at a leaf outside.  To do that, I really had to heat set my painting before hitting it with another colour. In essense, heat set with each layer.

#adttipandtricks:// Make sure to heat set your watercolouring to achieve the tone on tone look.


Another trick that I have been using lately is to look past the idea that ribbon is only for bows and packaging.  Look at it like a textured roll of washi tape.  This ribbon made the bottom of the card look a little more fun.

#adttipsandtricks:// Use ribbon on a card as if it's textured washi tape.


Of course, I continued to play with the leaf and realized I could fit three leaves on a standard 4.25' x 5.5" card. To highlight each one, I used a different colour.  

The hardest part is deciding what color combination you want to use.  I typically use scraps of water color paper in order to make a decision.

COLOR COMBO
dapper denim + tranquil tide* + lemon lime*
*New 2017-18 In Colors to be released on June 1st, 2017

That's a wrap for today!  I am wishing you the best Easter weekend!! Make sure to keep hopping to see what Dani will show us today!!

Did you come here late?




Friday, 14 April 2017

Let the new Adventures begin | Display Stamping Blog Hop Day Two


It's DAY TWO on the Display Stamper Blog Hop!
What's that?
Check out DAY ONE to catch up!

These sneak peeks showcase products that are not on the Stampin' Up! website so make sure you continue to have your wish list handy.

Need a wish list?




Many of you know, I will forever describe myself as a memory keeper. 

I scrapbook using both pocket pages and traditional pages.  But what's not so traditional about my projects is the fact that I do use 8.5"x11" binders.  Therefore I typically use cardstock as my base or cut up patterned paper.



There are many new products included in this page.  There's the new ink called Berry Blast used to create a water color effect under the photo.  You can see some of the new Memories and More pocket card packs, as well as the Color Theory Card pack.  The flowers come directly from the Memories and More card pack but you can die cut those shapes from the Seasonal framelits.  The wood veneers, glitter enamel dots,  powder pink bow and glitter ribbon are all little pieces of what's to come in June.

And yes, that's me. I've scrapbooked this before.  Do you ever scrapbook a photo more than once?  This tends to happen to me when I am creating for design teams.  What's funny is that I include every layout in my album.  

Thanks for popping by friends!!


Did you come here late?

Next up - Today you are going to see projects from Dani next!


Thursday, 13 April 2017

Heck Yes, We Need to Celebrate This | Display Stamping Blog Hop Day One


Welcome to the Display Stamper Blog Hop, my friends.

This blog hop is presented to you by the Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team.
It will consist of 10 posts beginning today, April 13th until April 23rd, 2017.  Note that we are skipping April 20th in order to bring you our monthly Stampin' Up! Artisan Blog hop.

This hop will contain products that will be released by Stampin' Up! in their 2017-2018 Annual Catalog.  Customers can prepare their wish lists for the June 1st date when the catalog goes live.

Need a wish list?

This will be some of the first chances for you to see what to expect this year!




What is a display stamper?
A display stamper is someone selected to create projects in order to inspire participants attending the Stampin' Up! OnStage conventions.  I was lucky enough to attend the OnStage event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.


These two projects were created using a new set called the Great Big Greetings stamp set. True to its title, there are some large greetings included. The paper is called Color Theory and comes in a 6x6 stack.  I am in love with the "paint chip" pattern on some of the pieces.  This 3x4" popsicle card works perfectly with this stamp set... if only summer will ever arrive here in Newfoundland, Canada.

Did you catch a glimpse at the glitter enamel dots? You are going to need several packs of those.

Did you come here late?

We have so much more to show you so make sure you hop along!! 
Sylwia is going to wow you for sure!

Thursday, 6 April 2017

Eastern Palace meets Bullet Journal | Stampin' Up! Artisan Blog Hop

Introducing..... a new out of publication release by Stampin' Up! - Eastern Palace Suite!

It's always exciting when Stampin' Up! is getting ready to launch a new catalog.  This year the new catalog becomes live for customers on June 1st; however, Stampin' Up! has released one product suite early to give us just a little taste of what's to come. 

For customers: “Here is a sneak peek of the Eastern Palace Suite. Exclusive for a limited time are the Starter and Premier Bundles, designed for both the beginning and avid crafters.”


For demonstrators: “Preorder the Eastern Palace Suite Starter and Premier Bundles April 4-30. Get your hands on these colorful and exotic products to prepare for customer launch May 1.”


While looking through this Suite I first was drawn to the gold foiled paper as part of the Eastern Palace Designer Series Paper.  The first thing I created was the envelope using the envelope punch board.  The gold foil is stunning on the Dapper Denim blue paper.  

Any good envelope needs a matching card. #obviously.

With a tear in my eye, I began to cut into the blue foiled striped paper and make it into a card base... I wanted to hoard this sheet of paper and I just used a full third.

Squirrel! The tassles! How cute are those? Must. Include. On. Card.

By fussy cutting the vanilla and gold I was able to create... Ba-da-dummmm!  CURTAINS!

curtains + tassles = love. #yesindeed


I finished off the card by heat embossing a thank you sentiment onto some card stock and placing it on the bottom right hand portion of the card.  I actually folded the die cut around the card. I even impressed myself with that one.

By this time, I was playing with the stamps.

Losing them.
Finding them.
Losing them again.
Finding them.
Stamping onto watercolour paper.  Giving up.

I was in full midst of creating a mandala.  Mandalas are super trendy right now and I wanted in on the action.  I was picturing a beautiful mandala with the colours washing together just perfectly.

Then the white embossing powder went crashing to the floor. Ink down. Arms up. I am done.

#nottodayyounggrasshopper

Leuchttrum1917 Emerald Dotted Bullet Journal + Pink Bullet Planner

When I returned back to my craft room I was thumbing through my Leuchttrum1917 Bullet Planner only to notice that I had missed my hair appointment today.  I am a planner but too often I run out of time to even check it. This was one of those weeks.

Then it came to me.

Don't over think.  Take the pre-made Gold Eastern Vinyl Stickers and pluck them onto your Bullet Journal. Mandala Unite!


Ummm. 
Well.
That was totally awesome.


I bet you have a lot of questions now.
What is a Bullet Journal?
Why does she have two?
What does she put in there?

Bottom line is my bullet journal is essentially an organized notebook.  Make it what you want.  My me, it's essentially a book of lists. My pink planner has the days of the week where I write appointments; however, my emerald dotted journal has plan paper. This brings me to my next feat.

Since it's the beginning of April, I was ready to set up my April Bullet Journal pages.  Typically, I start with a monthly title page. 

This month I began to create a mandala.  I stamped using the Stampin' Up! Archival Ink onto the smooth dotted pages. However, this ink did not dry too quickly on this particular notebook paper so I'd suggest using black Staz On ink for anyone willing to give this a try.


As always, I did some brush lettering with the Stampin' Write markers, as well as coloured in my mandala.

Here's a look at my full April Bullet Journal spread. Typically at the beginning of each month I think about some projects that need to move to the top of my list.  I place those reminders on this monthly title page.


I largely use my Project Life(tm) by Stampin' Up! journal pens in my Bullet Journal.  Here's a look at my March Bullet Journal layout.


I know what you are thinking... I still haven't answered all your burning questions about planning and bullet journalling but we've run out of time.

However, here are some layouts that crafters and/or Stampin' Up! demonstrators might find very useful in their/your Stampin' Up! business and hobby.


In the above layout, you can see that this is how I keep track of expenses and orders.  I also keep track of 'In the Cat Cave', which for me is finished products such as banners, wedding products and cards rather than a Stampin' Up! customer order.


The above is a blog log for March.  The numbers on the left hand side are the days of the month of March.  They are coloured coordinated between weekend and week day. The second column shows what needs to post that day.  The next is whether the projects are created, shared, blogged, pinned to group boards and pinned to my own boards...

Ahem.  I haven't been pinning lately, I know.

Below is another way to show your blog log, as well as a place for the projects you need to make in a particular month and any ideas that you need to write down.


I am so grateful that you have stopped by! Please hope along to Dani... she will blow you away!


Cathy

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