The "I got an Award but have no idea how to put it on my Blog" Post!

Thanks Tracy, from Tracy's Treasures!!  she gave me a Blog Award, but since I barely can figure out how to post pictures, I am at a loss as to what to do with it!!    but I have to share 8 things about myself, which is reminiscent of the 'Share 10 things" post awhile ago...so I will try not to bore you with duplicates!

1) People THINK I am outgoing and confident, but it is a clever ruse!!! I figure if I ACT that way, eventually I will BE that way!

2) I have lots of acquaintances, but very few friends....I think it is because I have trust issues.

3) I have 2 tattoos..one I got when I was young and stupid and it is now ruined by 2 pregnancies, and the second is a Canadian Maple Leaf on my ankle..which was never done correctly and has almost faded to nothing after less than a year!!!

4) I HATE putting away laundry...I will sort it, wash it, dry it, fold it and put it in laundry baskets....but that is where it stops..LOL

5) Even if my house is spotless, my bedroom will most likely be a disaster!!  I have no idea why!  I try...really I do!!!

6) This is my second and LAST marriage!  If he leaves me, I am following him!

7) I have two border collies, Briar and Finnigan, and if we had lots and lots of property, I would probably get one more!

8) I am a reality Show junkie...i love watching those train wrecks! (my dirty addiction is the Real Housewives series!!)

ok...now to share...which I have no idea how to do it...but I shall try!!

Mrs Morris @ mrsmorrisart
My friend Aaron @ Wandering Octopus
Shawna and Mary Ann @ Bent Birch Photography
Tracy @ Scrappin Army Wifey
Jen @ Jen's Joint because her stuff is Awesome!!
Robyn @ Injoystampin
and Yolanda cause she makes me giggle Yolie Bean

As for what I have done today...lots of running about!  And procrastinating..yup...done that lots!!  That and my nasty time management skills...good thing I am not being graded on that!
I have three unfinished projects on my desk, and for the last week, i seem to wander into my office about 930pm and decide THAT is when inpiration will hit me and next thing I know it is 2 am and I can't see straight...

I think I bite off more than I can chew with all the projects I have got in the mix...which in one way is good as i have had little to do since I moved to Washington a year ago....so I should not complain about being busy!!  LOL.....

I think I need to clean up my desk quickly, put the dogs to bed and plan on finishing this mini in the morning! 

One Year....Already

Today is one full year, 365 days, since I crossed the border at the Peace Arch, handed over my immigration papers to the Officers and began living in the US as a Permanent Resident.
Moving to a new city is hard enough, but add moving to a new country and it was an adjustment.  Both my kids had already left home, and were set in their 'grown-up' lives, but that didn't mean that the realization that their Mom now lived in another country, and that trips back and forth to see them would be costly wouldn't cross my mind, because it did, and it still does. 

And now my daughter has a beautiful little baby boy who was a mere 3 weeks old last I held him.  Jackson is now 7 months old, sitting up, eating solids, giggling and hamming it up to the Skype camera for Grammie and Papa. How I miss that baby!  Haylie does her best to send daily pictures and reports...but I can't wait to hold all my babies in my arms again!

Meeting people and starting up conversations didn't seem as easy here as it was in Canada.  This is the BIG CITY and people have lives..busy lives, and they seldom seem to be able to slow down and let new people in.  I say a little prayer for dogs and scrapbooking, becks that is how I have met the group of ladies I am honoured to call friends., I have a great group of ladies that I craft with, a few ladies I walk dogs with, and a special relocated Canadian" friend that I have coffee with and is always available to lend an ear when needed.  Thanks to these ladies,  the homesickness isn't so bad!



My husband asked me if I regretted marrying him and moving here, leaving Canada, leaving my family, leaving my friends..and moving to a new country, new state, new town and starting basically over again.

One look in his eyes, and I knew I could never regret falling in love with him...so being with him and 'moving away', not leaving family, friends and country, is something I would do again in a heartbeat!

This may not be my Homeland, but it is my home now.
Now, pass the poutine and the Maple Syrup and turn on the Hockey game EH!

A Little Thank You

I am really liking this FaceBook "Pay it Forward" thing....it has really got those creative juices in me flowing!


Grace is studying hairdressing and also works in the LSS.  I had an appointment with her today for foils and colour and a haircut, and last time I was there, I noticed she had a plain piece of paper with her name on it at her station.  Soooo

 I used the Tim Holtz Baroque Die and covered it both sides with paper from a pack I got at Costco.

 I used flowers from Wild Orchid crafts and coloured them with my homemade glimmer sprays

 Used a little bit of Prima bling......

 Inked and then sprayed cork letter stickers I got at Joann's....they really look awesome in person...glimmery

  

Grace said she loved it and I am glad!  She immediately hung it up at her station!  But that is what crafting is about right?  Giving to others to make them happy?  It certainly has been for me lately!!!

Pay it Forward 2011..#2

Well....I got my second Pay It Forward gift done, and once I started, it really came together quite quickly!  I think I will make one for myself!!!

 

The box is covered with Gesso, and then tan acrylic paint.  After it was dried, I rubbed Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain ink pads directly on the surface to give a wooden effect.

I used flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts again, as well as trim from A treasure Box.  the stamp is a Tim Holtz as well as the token.  The papers are from a pack I got from Costco a few years ago.

 I just love these flowers!!  They take the colour so well!!!!

The pearls in the trimming I coloured with Lumiere Paint.

 

 Inside the box is a round mini with half pockets.  The journalling pockets have sentiment stamps that are clear embossed.   

 

And what was this box??  Yup..Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges! :)

Have You Laughed Today??

Thanks for looking!!!

Pay It Forward 2011..#1..

I am participating in Facebooks "Pay It Forward 2011"...and just completed my first project.  It is a paperbag mini and I saw this technique of assembling it online somewhere, but now I can't find the video... The inserts are something I came up with, but I am sure someone else thought of it first!!

The recipient mentioned she liked purple, and loved girlish, frilly things...  So I went with flowers and butterflies.  The paper is all from a big pack I got at Costco a couple of years ago.....

I coloured flowers  from Wild Orchid Crafts with my homemade glimmer mist and again...love the way they grab the colour!!!  The lace is from A Tresure Nest I believe and it too is coloured with my sprays.

Butterflies I made using my Martha Stewart punches that I JUST bought!!!  Coloured them with Studio G ink from Michael's then a coat or two of clear embossing powder.

The pearls are from Close to My Heart as well as from the dollar bin at Michael's...I free-handed the pattern.

 close up of the binding....

 Between each page is a slide out Journalling card I made...room for more pictures and notes...so cute!

Lots of room for pictures and journalling.  I really had fun making this and I hope she enjoys it!!

10 Things That Make me ME

ok...MrsMorris did this on her blog and since I have sooooo many followers, I thought I would do it too!!

#1.  I am ADDICTED to coffee....even though I have been getting heartburn from drinking it!
#2.  I am what you would call "over-emotional".  I cry at EVERYTHING! and I hate it! Makes is hard to be assertive!
#3.  I have a hard time trusting people since my first marriage broke up due to my ex's 3 year affair. And I am angry at myself that after 4 years it still affects me.
#4.  I would love to be a dog trainer, but little dogs scare the CRAP out of me..I do not think they are cute or cuddly. I think thay are a bite waiting to happen.
#5.  I wanted to be a wife and mothe more than any other 'career' out there...which is why I don't have a career now...LOL
#6.  Not only do I talk to myself..I often carry on short conversations with myself!  (I think from being alone too often)
#7.  I SUCK with remembering names and dates and occasions...But I do try!
#8.  I like driving...road trips re fun..unless it is snowing or raining at night....
#9.  I love camping..but would rather have a camper or tent trailer than just  tent, cause bears scare me!
#10.  I HATE HOUSEWORK.  and if i am cleaning like a madwoman..it is because i am really freaking MAD!!  LOL...(my house is usually messy!)

Okay...that took more brain power than I thought it would be!!

Reverse Canvas Hanging

Quite a few months ago, probably even last year, I came across a video on YouTube by an Austrailina artist who used the reverse side of a canvas for her mixed media art.  I remember it was metallic blues and greens and had such a wimsical feel to it.  I was in awe!  I think that was the video that got me into all these other forms of paper crafting, and using different materials and mediums to create with.  I wish I would have wrote her name down so I could give credit where credit is due.  I have seen other artist on YouTube since doing similar projects.

I finally broke down and used my Graphic45 Steampunk paper that I have been hoarding!  It is so gorgeous I was afraid to use it!!

 I used flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and my homemade glimmer sprays.  The pin is from Karen Foster.  Pretty much all the metal used is Tim Holtz and I used gold Rub 'n' Buff on all pieces to give that great aged look!

I used an adage tag in the bookplate and attached a chain from one side to the key...and from the other side, it drops down to the keyhole on the bottom left corner.

Image cut from the paper pack.  The wings are from a T.H. stamp

 Thanks for looking!

 This is the first project that I have shared on this blog.....   I have seen these type of altered boxes for years, but never gave it a try before...

I made this for my mother-in-law, and I am really happy with the finished results...in fact, I have more boxes in the wings now!!!

I first covered the box with Gesso and then acrylic paint with a bit of metallic bronze mixed in.  I used Weathered Wood Crackling Medium by DecoArt ad then a coat of acrylic paint... Worked really good!!

I found the image in the center on line and thought it was perfect for this project!

 I used flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and coloured them with my homemade glimmer sprays in Tim Holtz Inks.  I have to admit, I am hooked on these flowers!!!  I used Lumiere Metallic Bronze paint on the bottle cap and punched an image from the G45 paper. 

 I had to rebind the album with twine and ribbon because apparently I can't measure and with the rings off, the mini JUST fit.  But I like the ribbon binding better...so it's all good!!

First pages..left side is a three fold journalling card tucked into a small pocket, and the right side is a tag tucked behind a larger pocket.  The flowers were glimmer sprayed and then a couple of coats of Spray Starch for stiffness.

 Next on the left is a large photo mat tucked behind a flap I cut with the TH "On the Edge" die.  The right side has two cards that open for pictures and journalling.  I used Spellbinders for those.

 I think this is my fave page.  I used the TH Baroque die for the two pockets and the Edge die for the tags.  Each side has three double sided tags, so lots of room there!  More bottle caps with images and then Glossy Accents.  I know 'now' not to shake the bottle!!!!

 Very Vintage page.  More Wild Orchid flowers, some adage tags and some G45 Lace (i think)

 In the pocket is a 4 fold card, double sided, so lots more room there, and an image I downloaded.  I made the dangly charm myself.

This was my 'attempt' at making one of those 'vintage tags' I have been seeing everywhere.  I think I need more practice!!!!  I used the Wild Orchid flowers on her hat and I thought it looked pretty cute!

I hope you enjoyed looking....and man was getting these pics where I wanted them a pain!!

Bye