Pieces of Me... for the world to see

It's been a long, long time...

2010-07-02T22:48:00.006-04:00

The last few months have been so busy that I have neglected my blog, but I am back to share.

Here are a few things that have happened since my last post:
- Showed my competitive side and won the Easter Egg hunts at home and at work
- Went on an adventure to the Dominican Republic with a few of my favourite travel partners
- Celebrated Brian's birthday with dinner at Canoe and great seats at Rock of Ages
- Was recognized at work for my 3-year committment to the firm (I'm their longest standing employee and I work my butt off everyday)
- Shopped til I dropped in Buffalo and at CKC with Veronica
- Had a blast at my cousin's wedding
- Spent some down time at the cottage
- Scrapped with the gals at 2SF on more than one occasion :)
- Found out that two of my best friends are pregnant
- Relived my youth at the NKOTB concert at CasinoRama
- Tons of parties, from a housewarming to a bridal tea to RockBand and more!

Here are a few layouts to share...

(based on a sketch from Sketchabilities)

(Basic Grey kit plus a few extra embellishments)

(based on a sketch from Sketchabilities)

Last Reveal with Sketchabilities...

2010-03-30T12:15:00.007-04:00

Sadly this will be my last reveal with Sketchabilities. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as part of the Design Team and I am truly thankful for the creativity the sketches have inspired! Be sure to continue to check out the blog for wonderful sketches and layouts! Best wishes to the new team.

For this layout I chose to feature some more casual photos of my family from this past Christmas. Every year we stand in front of the Christmas tree and take a photo, usually when we're dressed up and ready to head out for Christmas Eve mass, but not this time.

Funny how now that the "kids" are adults the Christmas tree is hardly even visible, especially when my brother stands right in front - lol!

Scrapping in Buffalo with Debby Schuh!

2010-03-21T21:23:00.008-04:00

On the first weekend of March, Veronica and I headed out to Buffalo for a fun weekend! When we told border security that we were headed into the US to attend a scrapbooking class, the young officer said with a straight face, "I don't believe you." Somehow he came around, and we were on our merry way!

Our first stop was at Hobby Lobby, where I picked up some Thickers for 50% off. Our cashier was very friendly and Veronica was convinced that he would have given us anything in the store for 50% off and I think she was right!!! LOL!

Next we headed over to the Walden Galleria for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Funny enough we did not indulge in any cheesecake, but we opted for some very delicious salads!!! Refueled and ready to go, we hit the mall, stopping in all of our favourite stores and some that just caught our attention!

We then headed over to Joann's - how could we resist when all scrapping supplies were 40% off?! After picking up just a few things, we met up with Veronica's friend, Kelly, and checked into our hotel for the evening, printed out some coupons for the Coach Factory Store and headed over to see what was new! Some of us, who shall remain nameless, may have made a purchase there - lol!

Then it was over to the Olive Garden for dinner, where we definitely ate too much! Why did they ever take the Olive Garden away from us in Canada??? It is delicious!

After a long day's work - haha - it was back to the hotel for some rest. The next morning we headed to The Pancake House for breakfast as it was highly recommended by Kelly. The pancakes were delicious, but it was a lot of food! Good thing we didn't order the Apple Baked Pancake (that was the size of a cake, no word of a lie) or the omlettes (that looked like they were made with a dozen eggs each) that some of the tables around us had ordered! I don't think we would have had a chance of finishing the meal if we had.

We had some extra time before we needed to head over to our class, so we headed to another mall, Michael's and Walmart to see if we could find anything interesting. At the mall, we inadvertendly joined the walking club as none of the stores were opened yet - good way to burn some of those pancake calories.

We were very excited when we finally arrived at Buffalo Stamps & Stuff for our class with Debby Schuh! We arrived early so we could browse the store before the class started. In class, we created a beautiful travel album made from an Anthropolgie bag. Learning from Debby Schuh was a delightful treat! We learned some great new techniques that I'm sure we'll use again and again! Check out Debby's blog to see photos of the album we created. It was a great weekend!

Wishing for warmer weather...

2010-02-28T16:14:00.006-05:00

It's the end of the month, which means it's time for a Sketchabilities reveal!

I had fun this month playing with Glimmer Mists to create my background and the colours I used left me hoping for spring weather soon :)

Be sure to check out the Sketchabilities blog to see what the rest of the team created.

More recently...

2010-02-23T23:57:00.008-05:00

As promised, here is a look at the full two-page spread from my January layout with Sketchabilities... I even did some journalling on this page - not something I do very often!

This past weekend I was working on my next layout for Sketchabilities and I have some final touches to finish up before the February 28 reveal. Please sure to check back soon to see it!

In the meantime, I'd love to share a what else I've been up to lately. A nasty throat infection kept me from doing anything but sleep at the beginning of February, but the month definitely improved from there.

For Valentine's Day, Brian and I headed up into wine country and we spent the day in Jordan at a wine and cheese tasting seminar at Cave Spring Cellars. Following the seminar, we did some more wine tasting and enjoyed a fantastic dinner at the Inn on the Twenty restaurant, which SURPRISE included even more wine tasting. The wine and cheese pairings seminar was definitely a highlight of the trip and we had a great time tasting the different pairings with the great people at our table and being tricked by the instructor into thinking that a single wine was really three different wines, because of the effect different cheeses had on the flavour.

At dinner, I think our favourite course of the meal was an appetizer that Brian ordered that was referred to as a pulled pork and scallop bruschetta. It sounds like a strange pairing and I must admit that it did not have mush resemblance to traditional bruschetta, but it was defintiely delicious!!!

In celebration of Valentine's Day, my friend Sonia and I spend the day before creating some really cute mini books for our men. All the elements for the minibook were designed by House of 3 and Sonia and I had a great time being creative and putting these together! Next step is to add the photos from each of our Valentine's Days, respectively. I haven't seen her photos yet from her Valentine's Day trip to Ottawa but I'm sure they'll be great! I'll be sure to share some close up picture of our completed books once the photos have been added.

Sketchabilities Reveal

2010-02-05T22:23:00.004-05:00

Have you been over to the Sketchabilities blog recently? The design team's recent reveal is definitely not one to be missed. Take a minute to visit and see what the talented designers have created this month - you won't be disappointed!

Here's a peek at what I created... the photograph is of my mom, my brother (beer in hand - lol) and I at my mom's 60th birthday surprise party this past November. I've actually completed a second page to create a 2-page spread - just need to take a photograph so that I can share it!

A New CAR!!!

2010-01-13T00:10:00.005-05:00

Yes, that's right! I bought a car and its my first BRAND NEW car!

(Source: www.autorivals.net)

The RAV4 will soon be mine and then I can post a photo with me in the driver's seat.

Unfortunately I have to wait likely until the end of February for my car to be ready. Toyota has been selling a lot of these and when I made my purchase at the beginning of January there were only two left in Canada of the model I wanted. Sadly, I couldn't get my hands on one of those two as they were located up in northern Ontario.

So they're making me, and a lot of other people, a brand new one!

I can't wait!!!

Christmas, Christmas and more Christmas!

2009-12-27T21:58:00.008-05:00

So much has been going on over the last little while that I've been neglecting my blog, but I've been enjoying life and taking pictures so I can share. The Christmas season is a wonderful time to celebrate and spend time with loved ones and I been doing just that.

So here is my "share" for today...

Veronica, Kelly and I started a new Christmas tradition last year of going to the spa to spend some quality time together and this year we thoroughly enjoyed a whole day at Ste. Anne's Spa in Grafton, ON. It was my third time visiting and every time I'm always sad to leave.

The three of us spent the morning enjoying the outdoor, yes I did say outdoor, and indoor hot tubs, the steam room and the sauna. After working up an appetite (ha, ha) we enjoyed a delicious lunch in the dining room - you can even wear your robe to lunch, but we opted for our lululemon pants (surprise, surprise - they are the best pants EVER!).

After lunch it was time for our spa services. Veronica and I both tried out a new offering at the spa called the Chakra Balancing massage. We weren't really sure what to expect, but afterwards we both agreed that it was FABULOUS!!! It was a combination of massage, reflexology and energy work - a great option if you are going to Ste. Anne's just for the day and want to try out a couple of the services they offer. I didn't want to get off the table at the end of the hour session - I was sooooo relaxed and very tempted to just drift off to sleep. To be honest, I think I may have for a few moments!!!

Naturally after working up an appetitie again (ha, ha) we returned to the dining room for afternoon tea. What a delicious afternoon! There was a selection various teas - I had pear something or other which was very good - and there were scones with cream and preserves, brownies, cheese with crackers and grapes, cucumber sandwiches, smoked salmon rolls, cookies and more. I would go on, but I am making myself hungry!!!

Next we headed off for our group meditation class. So I knew this class would be relaxing, but with the pillows, blankets, dim lighting and music, how was I not supposed to fall asleep?!?!?!?!? At least my friends didn't have to wake me up at the end of the sesssion - cough, cough, Kelly!

Thanks Kelly and Veronica for an amazing day! I'm definitely looking forward to continuing the tradition!

To the rest of you reading this entry, I definitely recommend this spa if you have the chance to go. This place is amazing! Check it out http://www.steannes.com/

Christmas is coming....

2009-12-10T23:35:00.005-05:00

Can you feel it? I sure can.

A Creative Weekend

2009-12-03T00:12:00.013-05:00

There is a drive inside of me to create and this weekend I was lucky enough to do just that with some amazing women.

Saturday I spent the day scrapping while being distracted by laughing, shopping and eating muffins & fruit salsa - I blame the snacking on the chef - thanks Lori!!! Your treats were delicious.

During this time, I added a few more pages to the mini book I created at the TSF retreat. Here's a peek at my "award-winning" mini book. LOL.

Last week I also designed a Brizezilla and Bridesmaidzillas layout that definitely captures some of the fun we had getting ready for Sonia's wedding this past September.

On Sunday, a few of my friends from university and I continued with our yearly tradition of baking and decorating Christmas cookies together. I was a little disturbed that we were doing this in November!!!! but managed to have a wonderful Christmasy time anyway. They even made me listen to Christmas music, which I typically refrain from until December 1. Don't get me wrong, now that it is December I am fully happpy and prepared to start celebrating the Christmas season, but November was pushing it! LOL!

Brian and I nibbled on the cookies on Sunday and Monday evening and then my coworkers got to enjoy the rest on Tuesday morning - welcome to December!

Retreat in Grand Bend

2009-11-24T22:18:00.017-05:00

140 crazy women, 6 delicious meals, 2 spa visits, too many prizes to count, endless scrapbooking ... one fabulous weekend!

Upon our arrival at the inn, Veronica and I rushed over to the spa to begin our weekend truly relaxed. We were lucky to arrive just in time for our appointments despite our slight "detour" on the way to Grand Bend... I didn't even know a town named Seafoam... I mean Seaforth existed and now I can say I've been there! LOL! Our luck continued with our accomodations as we were randomly selected to stay in one of the 2-bedroom cottages for the weekend... equipped with living/dining room, full kitchen and even a fireplace. As fun as sleepovers can be, I think we both really enjoyed having our own bedrooms... especially since I didn't go to bed on Saturday "night" until 5 a.m.

I must have been so pumped from my table's group challenge win that I had enough energy to scrapbook all night. If anyone can provide inspiration, it is the the fairest scrapbooker of them all... the third scrapbook friend that we created that night!

I was doubly lucky the next day to win the product challenge with "my scrap family" mini album. If you want to see a hiliarious picture of the runway walk I took with my prize, you've gotta check out the Two Scrapbook Friends blog - LOL!

Thank you to everyone who made the 2SF retreat in Grand Bend an amazing one!

Let's reveal!

2009-11-15T11:01:00.002-05:00

Here is my layout for Sketchabilities this month. The photo was taken this summer in Huntsville and the lovely lady by my side is Sandra, a friend who also used to be a coworker of mine many moons ago. I am so glad that Sandra and I have kept in touch, she is a wonderful person and despite our age difference we are definitely "two peas in a pod."

Be sure to check out the Sketchabilities blog to see what the rest of the team created this month!

Sketchabilities Reveal Day!!!!

2009-11-14T17:51:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is reveal day at Sketchabilities. Be sure to drop by to check out the team's layouts.... I can't wait to see what everyone created!!!!

It's reveal time!

2009-11-01T17:10:00.004-05:00

It's reveal day at Two Scrapbook Friends and I am honoured to be featured as a guest designer this month!

Here's a look at my creations using this month's kit, which featured the Basic Grey Indian Summer line. Please visit the TSF online gallery to leave some love for all of the talented designers on their team! Once again, they have created some beautiful creations!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T17:23:00.005-04:00

Here's my latest Halloween layout that was my October layout for the Sketchabilities team!

The team has created some wonderful layout this past month based on the always fabulous sketches from Karan Gerber. Check out Sketchabilites to see all of this month's layouts!

Memories of the Manor...

2009-10-30T21:12:00.011-04:00

What can I say? My weeked stay at Memories Manor was amazing thanks to the hardwork and kindness of our hosts - Deanna and Jan - and of course their sister Mariah! Thank you ladies!!!

As soon as I left, I knew what I'd miss the most.... our hosts coming in to ask me to join them in the dining room because my lunch or dinner or snack was ready! The food was amazing!!!! And they even emailed us the recipes so we could enjoy them again and again. The only thing they wouldn't share was the salad dressing recipe - it's a family secret. I tried to find a loophole, because this was some delicious salad dressing, but it's like trying to crack the Caramilk secret!

On Saturday, Karan, Terry and I took some great outdoor photos of us enjoying the fall weather! I'd love to share the photos with you, but you'll have to wait a couple more days as they'll be part of my November 1 reveal for my guest appearance on the Two Scrapbook Friends Design team. Until then, here are a few shots of the manor itself! The scrapbooking parlour is a dream! Enjoy!

P.S. A plan to head back to the manor will soon be in the works! So if you're interested in coming along, let me know!

My scrap area for the weekend - 6ft table, executive chair and bright desk lamp - my seat was the further one to the left in this photo.... with my own personal napping window bench (did I mention I stayed up to 5 a.m. the first night and 3 a.m. the second night scrapping?!?!?!?)

Sinclair - my angel room for the weekend!

My favourite bathroom - I totally want to recreate this bathroom in my own home someday.... but I'll add a jacuzzi tub of course!

Sonia and Shawn's Big Day!

2009-10-07T23:00:00.014-04:00

One of my best friends got married a few weeks ago and what a beautiful day it was! The sky was blue, we had tons of fun and best of all it turned out just as the happy couple had dreamed! The ceremony and reception took place on a boat on the Toronto Harbour - a beautiful back drop for their beautiful day! Here are a few highlights from the day... can't wait to add some of these to my scrapbook!

The Bridezilla and her Bridesmaidzillas... lol!

The Ceremony...

The Happy Couple...

The Girls...

Brian and I...

Congratulations Sonia and Shawn!!!

Sassy Sonia!

2009-09-21T23:29:00.007-04:00

I loved putting together this layout featuring my sassy friend Sonia. The photos were taken during our trip to Vegas in May. We took a day a trip out to the Grand Canyon and stopped at the Hoover Dam on the way there (and on the way back too actually). We had to climb a substantial amount of stairs to get back to a our rental car and Sonia was not too pleased - she whined, complained and called out to her then finance (now husband) to carry her. This all from the long time aerobics instructor - lol!!! I love her sassy attitude!!!

This is my first entry as as member of the newly formed Sketchabilities design team and I'd love to hear your feedback! Check out the Sketchabilities blog to view the rest of the team layouts.

Sketchabilities Design Team

2009-09-04T22:59:00.002-04:00

I was so excited to receive an email a couple weeks ago from the very talented Karan Gerber to congratulate me on my acceptance to the first Sketchabilities Design Team!

Our first layouts will be revealed September 15!!!! Take a look at the Sketchabilities blog to find out more!

Found!

2009-09-02T23:00:00.003-04:00

I found it! I found it! And the weirdest part is that it just appeared out of nowhere and was sitting in plain sight on my desk.... my mom tells me to thank St. Anthony, so thank you.

Lost!

2009-09-01T00:42:00.002-04:00

I hate the feeling of losing something and not being able to find it... it occupies my mind and drives me to keep looking even after I think I've exhausted every last nook and cranny. Today's culprit is my little black notebook. For the life of me I can't find it. I can picture it in my mind - the cover, the pages - but I've looked all over without luck and I'm starting to go nuts... have you seen it???

I woke up in the Chateau Frontenac!

2009-08-07T21:35:00.007-04:00

I just realized I had this post saved in my drafts and it never got published... better late than never!
I woke up on my 30th birthday in the Chateau Frontenac and a delicious room service breakfast was delivered just for me!

It was a long drive home and I drifted in and out of sleep as we drifted in and out of rain storms!
I was fortunate enough that night to meet up with a few of my friends on a patio in Bloor West for some drinks, some snacks and some laughs! Thanks everyone who came out!

And also thanks to my family who saved my bday cake for Tuesday night - I love when birthdays last a whole week :)

Birthday Celebrations - Take 2

2009-08-03T18:54:00.036-04:00

The second part of my bday celebration involved an "almost surprise" trip to Montreal and Quebec City with Brian. I say "almost surprise" because although he was doing an amazing job planning the trip on the sly - he slipped the week prior about our destination and without me even prying! We had an amazing time even with the rain. My biggest complaint is that the trip wasn't long enough! Love you Brian for planning such an amazing trip! And for your best effort to communicate in French throughout the weekend... I think we did pretty well :)

We left Friday afternoon when Brian showed up a little before quitting time at my office. Our bags were packed the night before and we headed towards Montreal, stopping for some 'Wendy-goodness or badness' for dinner and a bathroom break/leg stretch in Kingston.

After checking into our hotel in Montreal, we wandered over to the Jazz Festival just in time to grab a couple of drinks and catch the last band of the day.

The next day we got back on the road and headed to Quebec City, I hadn't been since my Grade 8 trip, which now was a really long time ago! To my delight, Brian had booked our stay at the Chateau Frontenac! I definitely felt like royalty...

On the way to the Chateau we stopped at Ketto Designs, a fabulous artisan shop that I discovered years ago when they were visiting TO for the One of Kind Show. I spurlged with some bday money and bought a really fab handpainted vase along with a few smaller items. We also stopped by Rose Bouton. I wasn't familiar with the shop but as soon as we drove by I yelped STOP!!!! I knew I had to go in... they had some really unique and amazing jewellry and purses and such. I purchased a couple fantastically original necklaces. While chatting with the store owner, I discovered that she actually used to work at Ketto AND funny enough she was also playing the same CD that was playing at Ketto when we were there minutes before. We couldn't help but notice, because it was this really weird but cute song, I am a Vampire... you're listening to it now.

For dinner we ran through the rain to Aux Anciens Canadiens - the oldest house in Quebec City that is now a restaurant serving traditional Quebecois fare. It was yummy, but WAY too much food and the restaurant doesn't allow you to take your leftovers home with you!

The next day Brian had arranged for us to take two guided tours - Old Quebec City in the morning and the neighbouring countryside in the afternoon. The Old Quebec tour was very reminiscent of my Grade 8 trip - showing us several points of interest relating to Canadian history and beautiful views of the St. Lawrence river.

Between tours we had time for a quick bite at Chez Ashton - be warned that their regular-sized poutine could feed a family of four - be sure to order the Bebe or the Mini instead!

The afternoon tour included a visit to Montmorency Falls, a Bronze Artisan, le Chocolaterie de l'Ile d'Orleans, Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré Cathedral and a stop for some maple butter on freshly baked bread - delicious!

After a jam-packed, amazing day, we treated ourselves to the most delicious 8-course dinner at Le Champlain... amazing service, amazing food, amazing view! What more can I say!

Of course the night would not be complete without a champagne toast and an evening stroll... all and all an AMAZING DAY!

More on the the rest of the weekend next entry...

The sweetest thing...

2009-07-24T20:33:00.006-04:00

The sweetest thing happened when we were attending Karan's class at 2SF on Wednesday... Joanne's family surprised her with a birthday cake!!! We all got to sing, "awww," eat goodies and celebrate such a wonderful moment with Joanne.

Happy Birthday Joanne! Hope you had a wonderful day - you deserve it!!!

The class was lots of fun too - thanks Karan! I do, however, have a signficant amount of "homework" - perhaps I was having too much fun during the class?!?!? SOME PEOPLE (cough, choke, Lynn) were way too well-behaved and completed the entire layout. What a teacher's pet! LOL!!!! Just kidding Lynn!

I'm a Puma!

2009-07-20T20:59:00.016-04:00

Yes, it's true, I just turned the BIG 3-0 one week ago today! And apparently, that makes me a Puma! It's like junior Cougar - lol!!! Watch out - I'm gonna start wearing animal print and sequin bustiers out to the bar.

Honestly though, I really don't want to be this age - it's a little scary. I know age is just a number, but this is not a number I like.

On the plus side, there was a lot of fun celebrations to commemorate this unsightly occassion...

Birthday Celebrations Part 1:
A pre-30th Girls weekend at the cottage, that featured delicious drinks and fat-free food (lol), a trip out on Party Island, dolphin performances by Tonia, Rock Band, a way too intense game of Monopoly, crazy dancing on the deck and three ... yes three, princess crowns worn throughout the weekend by yours truly...

And to top it off, some wonderful gifts.... including the Cricut bag!!!!

Thanks ladies for great weekend!

Okay, okay...

2009-06-30T00:38:00.007-04:00

... so I haven't blogged in a while, but I've been busy! I had a great weekend hanging out in with all the other trouble makers at 2SF - there was singing, there was dancing, there was scrapping! And some of us partook in some of those activities more than others.

And I couldn't resist sharing this one...

Summertime!

2009-06-15T21:27:00.009-04:00

Summertime is so full of life and excitement. I think that's what I love about it. And as much as I love filling up my calendar with fun get-togethers, parties, and other social gatherings... I have to keep reminding myself to also set aside some time to relax and enjoy the weather!

This past week was filled with parties, movies and of course some scrapbooking - lol!

Went to a great card class at 2SF on Wednesday which was all about intricate cutting and stickles. I spent so much time cutting (okay, okay... I was chatting and laughing a lot too) that I didn't even get to the stickles until Saturday when I was back for a day of scrapping. Thanks to all the ladies on both Wednesday and Saturday that made the time so enjoyable! I even got to partake in the Father's Day card Make n' Take on Saturday - I feel so ahead of the game.

(New BFFs - Kelly and Veronica - LOL!)

Over the weekend I went to a Games/Birthday/Stanley Cup Final Party - although the objective of the party may have been confusing, we still had fun! And the birthday boy was so easygoing when I started a cake fight and got him really good in the face. He wiped a bunch of it off before I got to snap this photo, but you get the picture...

Saturday evening it was off to a Luau-themed wedding reception with frozen drinks, bright colours and even flowered leis as the couple recently got married in Hawaii. Good times, but sadly no pictures... I left my camera at home :(

The weekend wrapped up with a double feature at the cinema - I saw Up! in 3D (very cute and well done Pixar!) and The Hangover (humour geared towards 18-24 year old men, but completely funny if you're in mood for this type of movie).

Well I'm now off to work on my challenge for Scrapper's Island - got started on Saturday but still have some work to do, especially since I just missed on winning immunity tonight. Two mintues sooner and it would have been mine :)

Apparently life caught up with me... (AND pics from the Bahmas)

2009-06-08T20:16:00.029-04:00

So I've been living "the life" lately - travelling the world, staying up late, maintaining my 'chi' and, well, trying to make the best of everyday life. But sadly, life caught up with me on Saturday night and I got the flu. Couldn't sleep all Saturday night and could do nothing but sleep all Sunday. I was really bummed out - I hate getting sick and I was so pumped to spend the weekend at the cottage relaxing, reading and scrapbooking. All I could do was sleep - oh well! What can you do?

So instead on focusing on the weekend, I'd rather share a few memories and some favourite photos from our trip to Bahamas. Travelling with 11 women (including me) proved to be both thrilling & fun, although I must admit we did have a few challenges.

The challenges...

getting 11 women in the same place at the same time... and ready to go - LOL!

delayed flights... we were so happy to get going!

our flooded hotel... which did get us free massages (thanks to Jen's skillful negotiating)!!!

The thrills...

swimming in our bar clothes becuase we didn't feel like getting changed!

riding the banana boat led by George the "shark" and seeing a billion fish (sorry Tania)!

getting into the 'local' club!!!

watching the birthday girl perfect her acrobatic skills - way to go Kelly!!!

The fun...

the Dollar wine - every night (you're listening to it now)!

doubling as Atlantis guests - the tour, the aquarium, the shopping!

avoiding getting beaten by the heel of Jen's shoe (sorry, inside joke for those who weren't there)

Blue Ballz, Melon Ballz, Dirty Banana - these are all names of specialty drinks - just in case you weren't aware!

HAPPY 30TH KELLY!!!

I hope we created memories you'll never forget!

So much catching up to do...

2009-06-04T23:30:00.009-04:00

I have so much catching up to do with blogging and photos...
Got back from Bahamas on Sunday night and then was off to 2SF on Monday night for a great class with Carolyn.

Back to work on Tuesday... which was a little shock to the body... I think I was meant to be independently wealthy and spend my life travelling, crafting and playing.

For those who asked to see some more pictures from the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon - please click on Grand Canyon Squirrel photo above to see more.

Off to the cottage this weekend, but I hope to post some more pictures from Vegas and Bahamas next week :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Vegas baby, yah!

2009-05-21T01:01:00.009-04:00

I'm back and I didn't lose my fortunes in Vegas... I actually won just under $100 on the slots. I need to get to bed - sadly I didn't win enough in Vegas to go on a permanent, independently wealthy vacation - I have to go to work tomorrow. Here's a sneak peak at some Vegas and Grand Canyon pics - I'll post some more soon.

Our plane landed back in Toronto this morning and today was all about recovery!

After a small driving incident this evening (i.e. going in the complete wrong direction) I made it to Karan's class at 2SF tonight. Thanks for a great class ladies! I heart Karan :) - but just as a friend, ok?!??! LOL. I told you I would post it! Signed up for the June 1 class tonight - hope to see all my scrapbooky friends there again!

3 more sleeps!

2009-05-13T00:07:00.005-04:00

3 more sleeps and a plane ride to Vegas... and still a lot to do before then! I like to make the most of my vacation time which means lots of extra planning time for the trip... what to do, where to go, what to pack (or more likely what not to pack), research, tips from other travellers - I like to know it all! Whereas other people seem to just be able to pick up and go...

God bless Brian - if I told him we had to leave for the airport in 10 minutes he'd have no problem being ready. Me on the other hand - I'd be running around like a chicken with my head cut off!

Happy to be alive!

2009-05-05T19:32:00.004-04:00

So my brakes failed on my way to work today... in busy, rush-hour, highway traffic going into the downtown core. Luckily I was actually still able to stop, but my foot was basically hitting the floor each time I hit the brake. A little scary - I must admit my heart was beating pretty quickly by the time I got off the highway and into the underground parking across the street from my office. It could have been much worse, so I'm happy to be alive!

Saturday Night at Medieval Times

2009-05-04T23:41:00.005-04:00

Brian and I spent Saturday Night at Medieval Times - eating with our hands, wearing silly paper hats, and waving the heck out of our banners cheering for our knight... who ended up being the 'bad guy!' This self-portrait photo of us makes me laugh - looks like I'm peaking into the photo. Did you know that the waitresses at Medieval Times introduce themselves as your 'wench' with a smile? I know its all in good fun, but I'm not sure I'd take it well if anyone dared to call me that. LOL.

As an aside, can I just say how thrilled I am at all the comments I received from my last post. I feel loved.... or at least liked :P

NSD at Two Scrapbook Friends

2009-05-02T11:34:00.011-04:00

Thanks to all the ladies at Two Scrapbook Friends in Waterloo yesterday for a great crop! I think I burnt off all the calories from the Wok Wagon and the delicious pie by laughing so hard. So what if I wasn't totally productive the whole time - I had more fun chatting and laughing anyway?!?!?! It was great meeting and hanging out with all of you for the evening - especially all of my 'tablemates' at the 'loud' table.

I know we said what happens at the Friday night crop, stays at the Friday Night crop... but here are a few tidbits or quotes to jog your memory about all the laughs we had:
Air Supply's Tour bus
Eating pie & ice cream on Fat-Free Friday
'I like him just as a friend!'
Staring at the ceiling, counting to 50... or sometimes only to 27.
Michelle wins a prize... AGAIN! (apparently)

Oh and if the nice lady who won the pizza & pop crop is reading this - I still want to be your friend!

See you all on May 20th for Karan's class on Heidi Swapp's Invisibles!

Happy Birthday Dad!

2009-04-30T23:59:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Dad! I hope you enjoy you're new universal remote.
Good thing we have Brian to program it - otherwise I think we'd be lost.

Brian's Birthday

2009-04-29T11:46:00.012-04:00

It was Brian's birthday yesterday. We're going to celebrate like kings and queens on Saturday by going to Medieval Times and then we're off in a couple weeks to celebrate some more in Vegas. Here's the birthday boy posing with the 'royalty' birthday card I made him - I also created a little package to hold his gift - our tickets and a message about behaving like royalty.

Scrapfest in Kitchener

2009-04-19T09:28:00.015-04:00

I spent the day at Scrapfest in Kitchener yesterday - what a great day! Got up early to arrive before 9am at the Aud for my morning class. Veronica and I (along with the rest of the class) made two great layouts designed by Trisha Ladouceur using My Mind's Eye products. I loved the Penny Lane line so much that I had to buy it at the vendor faire after class! We had a picnic lunch in the parking lot - lol - and then spent the rest of the afternoon shopping with Amanda and Lisa. I got some really great stuff - a couple kits and lots of great papers, some rubons and stamps too! I'm so excited that Stamping Bella now also features designs from Ketto. I see Ketto at the One of a Kind Show every year. They are a Quebec-based company that designs really cute images to decorate dishes, plates, cups, clothing, jewelry. At the One of a Kind show they really only feature their dishware, so next time I'm in Quebec City I hope to drop by their store to see their entire collection. Yesterday they were leading a card make-and-take. Look at what I made!

I ended up buying a few stamps from their booth - although I was really tempted to buy more than I did. Veronica got some too - so I'm sure we can share :) I was also on a mission during the day to find some products from Heidi Swapp's new lines - she's one of my favourites. Sadly none of the vendors had her complete lines, but I did manage to find some papers and overlays across a few of the vendors. Thank you for those vendors who did carry her product!

Here we are at the end of the day with all our purchases - we may look a little tired, but we're definitely smiling!

On the way home Veronica and I stopped at Del Dente for dinner. One of my favourite dining out locations while I was living in KW. Included with your meal is fresh bread that is baked and served in a flower pot and it comes with three great spreads - red pepper hummus, garlic herb and apple cinnamon (my favourite)! Delicious!

Sad day for Conquest and our trip to the Bahamas...

2009-04-15T22:33:00.006-04:00

Conquest Vacations Inc. announced today the cessation of its tour operations effective immediately... and unfortunately this means that our Girls Weekend to the Bahamas to celebrate my friend Kelly's 30th bday at the end of May has been cancelled. Will we get our money back? Well I've opened a dispute claim through my credit card company this afternoon, so hopefully they can take care of it for me. Not so nice news to top off a tough day at work... one of those days when you're reminded how much you're looking foward to some vacation time :) Here's hoping that we can find an alternative for the lucky 13 girls that were looking forward to celebrating together!!!

Happy 60

2009-04-11T13:32:00.011-04:00

While scrapbooking with Marsha yesterday, I created a Happy 60 mini-album to celebrate Lois' (Brian's mom) Birthday today.
I actually used one of Lisa Bearnson's kit for a Congratulations accordian book, but I changed it up to accomodate the occassion. Brian even participated by taking the photos and doing the journalling himself! Here are some pictures of the results...

My new background!

2009-04-05T21:23:00.004-04:00

Yay! I finally got my new background set up just right! It took some tampering with the HTML code and a photobucket pro account - but now its beautiful. The background design was purchased from Houseof3.com - definitely worth the $1.50 :)

Disneyworld Photo Mosaic

2009-03-29T23:07:00.007-04:00

Take a look at this photo mosaic double page spread I completed today using Tami Potter's Mosaic Moments techniques. I used 13 photos from a trip to Disneyworld for this layout and added a simple 'The Best Place Earth' sticker to complete the page. My favourite part of this layout is the Disneyworld horizon created across the top using 5 photos. It was my first time using this technique and I'll definitely try it again!

Mr. Clean

2009-03-25T21:50:00.013-04:00

Shaw, a coworker and friend, decided that he should shave his head this weekend and surprise us all on Monday morning! I've been calling him Mr. Clean all week, but we've decided that maybe he's a 'bad-ass' version of Mr. Clean.

When I asked him to pose for a photo today at lunch, here's what I got...

Intricacies

2009-03-19T00:42:00.006-04:00

Did not have a great day at work today - partially due to the word 'intricacies.' Funny enough, I wrote the word on a piece a paper and took a photo and magically the word disappeared. I'm hoping the associated bad memory disappears as well.

Obama Day!

2009-01-20T21:14:00.005-05:00

My photo today is of Obama's Inauguration - well a picture of my computer showing the massive event. We tried to watch the live video feed from work today, but had no luck likely due to the number of people trying to do the exact same thing around the world. We ended up gathering around my phone to hear the introductions, swearing in and speeches - thanks Brian for holding your cell phone up to the TV at home so we could all share in the experience. We witnessed history in the making today... one of those days that when someone asks you where you were or what you were doing during Obama's Inauguration 10 years from now, you'll remember exactly. Just like you likely remember exactly what you were doing when you found out about Princess Diana's death or the tragedies of 9/11. This day, however, is one filled with much hope for the future of America. Obama, all eyes are on you, and much hope rests on you for positive change in our world!

Purple Ipod and Indie music

2009-01-13T23:16:00.005-05:00

My photo for Day 13 ...

Jen... my coworker, my lunch buddy, my friend. Here she is posing with her new purple Ipod which I think she is possibly in love with.... LOL! Watch out Mr. Sophiscated aka Scott, this Ipod may be taking your place.

All kidding aside, Jen is very much into music and in particular to the local indie scene. She is constantly spreading the word on the latest concert in TO, featuring her favourite indie bands. Jen, your enthuasism and passion for indie music is admirable and I'm sure a photo or two from a concert I attend because of you will show up later during Project 365.

Am I really starting a blog?

2009-01-08T22:34:00.005-05:00

So I've been bugging a friend at work to design a blog for me, but he's been a little slow on the uptake. To be honest, I'm not too sure what goes into designing the blog itself, I was just hoping I could add some uniqueness to mine, but this plain version will have to do for now. (Joseph, if you're reading this, can we jazz this up now?)

I've been thinking of starting a blog for a couple of months now, for a variety of reasons, but now I've finally found a reason that actually makes some sense. I've decided to take on a new challenge for 2009 - Project 365, which bascially is a challenge to take one photograph a day for an entire year. If I can maintain this challenge, I think it will be great to look back at an entire year of photographs that represent my life... as exciting as it is on some days, and a little more mundune on other.

So what sparked my interest in this Project 365? For any other scrapbookers out there, you've probably heard of Becky Higgins (for non-scrapbookers she's a well-known scrapbooker artist). She recenlty released a kit through CK Media to challenge others to participate in this challenge to capture their life in a year through a picture a day. The kits were extremely popular and sold out in one morning - apparently it was a big fiasco and I didn't even come close to having the opportunity to purchase one, but needless to say I am going to participate in the challenge anyway and post many, if not all of my photos here on my brand new blog. Thank you Becky for the challenge!