In The Cat Cave

Hi Friends,
My Love Story Planner from Stampin' Up! arrived last week, just in time for me to start planning in August.

I am a planner.
Until I get too busy.  Then my life flies off the rails and chaos ensues.
But I am a better person when I plan, I remember things.  I don't think about what's for supper and it helps me stay on task rather than procrastinate.

Currently I use two planners: Leuchtrum Planner + Leuchtrum Bullet Journal.
To see more about how I use these please see this post.

I will be continuing to use my two Leuchtrums but going forward my creative planning will be in the Love Story Planner by Stampin' Up! Today marks the day that I sort out how I can best fit this journal in my life.

Check out my video on my plans and review on this planner.

"It had been a long month.  The first of June found our family in Mexico but my life was being rushed as vacations meant I had a lot less time to get the annual financial statements filed. Working late, eating on the fly and rushing from one place to another.  I was overwhelmed.  It was June 30th and Ryan had cooked a BBQ. After supper while the kids were outside on the trampoline, we watched the news.  Something we don’t do often for one reason or another.  There was a local missing girl and we continued to hope there was more information on her case.  Instead I watched the weather man, Eddie Sheer do his newscast from a “Canada 100” sign at the bottom of signal hill.  I turned to Ryan and said “I wanna go there”. Not sure why but Ryan replaied “Let’s do it.”  We asked the kids whether they were interested and neither of them wanted to join us.  Throwing in an ice cream got them strapped into the SUV.  I grabbed my DLSR camera and took a few pictures on the way down.  It was a gorgeous day. The fog will start rolling in soon, I am sure. When we got to the spot the news crew were just finishing off their final sign off. Perfect timing.  We stood and waited for them and then started to take our pictures.  A line began to form behind us so all of a sudden I felt rushed in my pictures.  It didn’t matter.  I didn’t get the picture I wanted but I got a day of exploring after wards.  The kids ran down the trail and up the steep rocks.  With every foot step, I was a nervous wreck pictuing one of them running off a clift.  Ryan was getting irritated by my barks to stay close.  I couldn’t help it.  They sat on the cannons and sat in the grass. They raced over the grassy hills and looked for the light house. All the while I snapped pictures as the sun was setting. It was beautiful.  The night was warm and it was exactly what I needed to kick off a new month. Of course, we all ate ice cream to cap it off."



These layouts were created for SPARK magazine, which is a monthly magazine for members of the Simple Scrapper online community. Owner, Jennifer Wilson provides sketches and story starters each month that help drive inspiration in your quest to document your memories.

My design style was very clean and simple.  It started out with the story typed using the Remington Noiseless typewriter font within Photoshop Creative Cloud.  This was printed out on Whisper Whiter cardstock by Stampin' Up! on 8.5"x 11".

As a subscriber to the Ali Edwards Story Kits, I found some chipboard elements and embellishments that quickly brought this layout together.



If you would like more information on the Simple Scrapper Membership, please contact me. In addition, you can now see ont month of SPARK magazine for free!  This will help you see all the inspiration and resources that Jennifer Wilson provides.

Cathy

"Boo. Boo. Butt."

I know you think I have lost my mind but my kids favourite book is called "The Book With No Pictures".  The book is basically making parents say funny things because the words are on the pages in the book. (It's the rule, it states.)  And of course, there are no pictures. My kids think its hilarious especially when the reader has to say "Boo. Boo. Butt." It's a tasteful book, I promise... not always fun for the reader but most kids get a kick out of it.


So when I look at this stamp set A Little Wild by Stampin' Up!, I can't help but be reminded of this saying... and well, quite frankly... those little bums are too cute.

These little tags have a front and back - they were created with making little tags in mind.  They have co-ordinating Little Loves Framelits. Totally awesome and totally easy.


This week I am back designing with the TGIF Challenge Blog design team.  I have had my plate too full lately and haven't been able to join in as much as I'd like. This week's challenge is a 'Emboss Resist' technique.

What I'd like to say about this technique is not to over think it.  "Emboss Resist" is something that I do regularly because I am often water colouring with my aqua painter.  By heat embossing, the ink is resisting settling on the stamped lines plus the lines are slightly raised. It makes going outside the line very hard... It's brilliant!

In this particular tag, I heat embossed with black embossing powder and water coloured using my Stampin' Write markers.  Obviously, there's not a lot more than that for this project.  Add some powder pink ribbon and away you go.

I'd love to see you play along with the TGIF team this week - hope this gave you some inspiration! that is a little bit outside the box.

Cathy

As most of you know, I am a memory keeper.  A story teller.  So when the challenge for our Fancy Friday Blog hop was to use the Memories and More Card Packs by Stampin' Up!, it was a no brainer for me to dive straight in and create a scrapbook page.  Although my first intention was to use the divided pocket pages.

As always, my intention and page evolved with the picture and the story.  Like every year, we had a family photo shoot recently at Topsail Beach in CBS, Newfoundland.  Our expectations and goals are always the same for any photoshoot - try to get a family shot and one of the kids... if all else fails and Jack isn't co-operating then we will shoot only Jane, my 7 year old who loves the camera but doesn't want to be a model.


My scrapbooks are now in 8.5" x 11" so I consistently use this size for traditional pages like this. It makes it incredibly easy to type and print it on your printer.  I always use the Remington Noiseless font and try to get the exact place for journaling using Photoshop CC.


I don't nit pick.  I chose some cards out of the Bundle of Love card pack and began to cluster underneath the photo, which I printed at home using my Canon Selphy printer.

I didn't quite realize how much I loved this Pick A Pattern washi tape until I used it on this project.  I am a lover of thin washi tape and these patterns really worked perfectly.

Well, hello new and old friends!

Just when I thought I was getting tired of Paper Pumpkin they came out with donuts... and now this month's kit is absolutely stunning... maybe, I mean "really cool" - not stunning. Stunning is more for like glitz and glamour, don't you think?  Words are funny, aren't they?

When I took out the items in the kit my jaw was dropping.  Two rolls of delicious washi tape and cut out card bases with stitching (gasp!).  More water color wash card bases and wood veneers...

Just. Well. See it for yourself.


I am so excited to be part of this It's a Pumpkin Thing Blog hop each month.  These ladies blow me away with their alternate ideas and I know this month will be no exception...

.. although we all know the truth is that it's hard to stray from these gorgeous cards this month!


Once I created a couple of the suggested cards, I went off in my own direction by creating a couple different cards and a fun birthday wand.... Birthday wand?  I totally just made that up.  Last month I created a birthday wand to stick in my daughter's vase of skittles for her birthday party.... (OK, I'll do the birthday post soon... just not today!)

Wow.  I really have a theme of "words" on this hop.


I know what you are thinking... Cathy has lost her mind... Errr... I need this kit.
Yes. You. Do.
Just order the monthly kits. (Oh, you did before and didn't like them? Well, guess what? They are improving becasue Stampin' Up! heard us...) Blah, blah - contact me and I'll hook you up. If you are in Canada, that is.

Next up is one of my new friends, Andrea - she's quite the card and well, I like her because she's real life.  I like real life.  Real Life + Pretty Things + Ink + Paper = Awesome. Now who ever said I wasn't good at math... (no one. I am an accountant. Piff)

Hi Friends!

The Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team is showcasing the Colorful Seasons Product Suite this month in the hopes to show you what a beautifully versatile set this is.


I have been fixated on this sentiment. It's a perfect saying for a wedding card from the Colorful Seasons stamp set.  In fact it's easy for this stamp to get lost with all the gorgeous images and sentiments in this set.


To create this card I used tone on tone with whisper white paper and the Detailed Floral dies.  However, I used my aquapainter with some pool party ink to add some colour in the background.  I layered from ribbons behind the sentiment which was stamped in versamark and heat embossed with silver embossing powder.  Finally, I added some pearls and sequins to top it off.

And before you go..
How are you living your life without the sequin embellishments?  There are three sizes that make these sequins better than the rest... but that's my humble opinion, of course.

Thanks for dropping by and be sure to see what Dani has this month.

It's been a few weeks since I've played along with my friends at the TGIF Challenge Blog.  I've been struggling to find the time for everything - finding that right balance.  It happens every year.  Being an accountant, there are tax deadlines at the end of June.  I hope to bring you more fun soon as I search for the happy balance.

Until then, be sure to play along with us this week - it's a sketch challenge!